Lion Unity
by Fruitality
Summary: In the books, Harry's been betrayed by his house so many times it's never a surprise. But what if the Gryffindors got their act together after Harry's first year and start acting like a family again? The result is Lion Unity, where wizards and witches all over the world learn not to mess with Harry and his huge family.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is my first ever HP fanfic! Actually, my first fanfic period, although I've written lots of other things before. Anyway, this fic was brought on by the fact that Harry is constantly betrayed by his house in the books, and it got me thinking. Aren't Gryffindors_ and _Hufflepuffs supposed to be loyal? Why aren't the lions banding together and protecting each other? Why doesn't Harry have more friends than just Ron and Hermione (and later Neville, Luna, and Ginny)? This fic is going to explore what would happen if the Gryffindors realized their errors and started acting more like a family. I'm planning for it to go at least up through fifth year, and it starts at the very end of first year. Final word count before author's note: 1,443.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

Harry James Potter had just had the best year of his life, and now it was coming to an end. He stood at Hogsmeade Station with his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Most of the other children were straining to catch sight of the scarlet Hogwarts Express, but not Harry. He didn't care if it never came. Hogwarts was his home now, with Hermione and Ron and the ghosts and the castle. Everything in the place was magical, and at last, Harry felt as though everything was right. But soon, he'd have to return to Number 4, Privet Drive, Little Whinging Surrey. Although, Harry reflected, it wasn't so much the place he disliked but rather the people. The Dursleys were unlikely to still be afraid of him and his magic after nine months away, and so, he could expect quite a bit of nasty comments and snide looks when he got back.

"Harry!" A yell came. Harry turned, as did Ron and Hermione, to see Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain and keeper, running towards them. "Harry," he repeated, panting. "I wanted…to talk."

Hermione grabbed Ron by the arm and pulled him away. Harry shot her a grateful look. He wasn't entirely sure that Oliver had forgiven him for missing the final match of the season and costing the team the Quidditch Cup. Harry had desperately wanted to be there, but Madam Pomphrey wouldn't let him leave the hospital wing. He hadn't gotten the chance to speak to Oliver since, and hoped no one would be too angry.

"Harry, mate, listen. I know I haven't been the best friend to you lately, and I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I've been so focused on winning that I've forgotten how everyone on the team feels. I joined the team because I loved the game, but this past year, I…look, I just want you to know that if you ever need anything, you can come to me," Oliver finished, looking awkward.

"Wait," Harry blurted. "You're not angry with me for missing the match?"

"Seriously?" Oliver laughed. "Harry, if I ever had to choose between saving the whole school, and maybe even the whole country, from V-Voldemort, or going to the last match of the season, well…I'd choose my life."

"You said his name. No one ever says his name, except for me and Dumbledore."

"Well, I figured that if he was in the school the whole year, it seems kind of stupid to be that afraid of him. Besides we're all Gryffindors, but we don't seem to be acting like it."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Gryffindors are brave, chivalrous, and loyal. Yet we're all afraid of a lunatic, we start fights with the other houses just because we don't like them, and we turn our backs on our housemates. I don't think that's what Godric Gryffindor had in mind for his house when he founded the school."

"You should tell people that. It might improve the house," Harry said.

Oliver shuffled his feet and shrugged. "Maybe."

"Hey Wood!" Angelina Johnson called.

"Sorry Harry, I gotta go. Y'know, the Quidditch team's gonna sit together on the train. The twins are bringing Jordan, so you could probably bring Granger and Weasley," Oliver offered.

"Er, thanks. I'll go get them," Harry replied, taken aback by how Oliver actually seemed to be making good on his promise. It wasn't that the Scot had been mean before, just kind of…_intense_.

"Ron, Hermione, come on. Oliver said we could sit with the Quidditch team."

"Alright, but if Fred and George try to prank me, I'm leaving," Ron warned.

"I don't think Fred and George would be themselves if they didn't mess with you at least once," Harry said.

"You're probably right," Ron muttered.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione actually had a great time on the train. Hermione had planned to keep her nose stuck in _Hogwarts: A History _the whole time, but Katie Bell drew her into a conversation that Hermione actually enjoyed. Katie was very smart, and she didn't babble mindlessly about boys and make-up like all the girls in Hermione's dorm.

Harry, Ron, and Oliver talked Quidditch; or rather, Ron and Oliver talked Quidditch and Harry tried to keep up and absorb everything he could. Alicia Spinnet and Lee Jordan played wizard chess. Fred and George were on Lee's side and Angelina was on Alicia's side. All three were yelling out instructions and insults at the other team, making for a very loud game.

The compartment felt a bit cramped at times, but Harry got on well with everyone. Lee decided (after losing at chess) to start a game of Exploding Snap, and they all got into a very tight circle.

"Hey, Fred and George?" Harry called as a thought occurred to him. "Where's Percy?"

"Our perfect prefect of a brother-" Fred began.

"-is off preventing any mischief makers-" George added.

"-from having any fun!" They finished together.

Oliver sighed. "Do you have to do that?"

"Of course, dear captain," They recited together.

"Hey guys?" Ron interrupted. "D'you think Mum will let Harry stay for the summer?"

Harry felt his ears burn. "I don't think my uncle would let me come. He'd think I'd be having too much fun."

Everyone in the compartment gave him a sympathetic look which just made Harry turn pinker.

"I don't suppose he'll let you practice ever?" Oliver asked sheepishly.

"I live in a muggle neighborhood. I wouldn't be able to fly," Harry said, avoiding the question.

"Don't worry Oliver," Alicia spoke up. "If Harry could fly like that with no experience, he should be okay with no practice for two months. He's probably one of the best seekers in the world."

Harry smiled in spite of himself, and shook his head.

"You are, Harry," Katie said quietly. "We all know you would have won the Ravenclaw game."

"And we don't blame you for missing it," Angelina added. "I wouldn't have gone either."

"Let me tell you, the game was really boring to comment on without you there. No death traps or insane stunts," Lee joked with a wink.

Ron and Hermione just grinned up at him. Harry wanted this feeling to last forever. All of these people didn't like him for the Boy-Who-Lived, they liked him for Harry. Harry, the messy-haired seeker who just tried his best to keep going, who didn't have a family and had never had any real friends. But eventually it was all over. The train rolled to a stop, and all the Gryffindors stood and stretched and set out to leave.

"Would your uncle let you have muggle mail?" Katie asked.

"Er, yeah, I think so," Harry said confusedly.

"Great!" She smiled, tucking some hair behind her ear. "I'll write you."

"We all will," Oliver promised. "But probably not through muggle mail."

"That'd be great!" Harry beamed. He hadn't been expecting anyone to write him this summer, and now he had a whole group of people. If Harry had thought it a good year before the train, nothing compared to now.

All of the Hogwarts students had to walk through the platform barrier two or three at a time, so as not to arouse the Muggles' suspicion. As soon as Harry, Ron, and Hermione burst through the barrier, he saw the Weasleys. Fred, George, and Percy had already gone through and were waiting with Ginny and their mum.

"Hello Harry, Hermione!" Mrs. Weasley greeted them. "Ron's told me so much about you two."

"Mum!" Ron cried.

"Do you think you both had a good year?" Percy asked officiously.

"It was great!" Harry exclaimed.

"Hogwarts is lovely," Hermione sighed.

"I'll write you both!" Ron swore.

"I see my uncle now. I have to go," Harry said regrettably.

"Have a good summer, Harry!" Ginny squeaked, and then hid behind her brothers.

"See you Harry!" Hermione called.

"Bye!" He shouted.

Uncle Vernon didn't look very pleased to see Harry. He had somehow grown since Harry had last seen him. His face was just as red as ever, with the same beady eyes and somewhat ridiculous mustache.

"Did you have a good year?" Uncle Vernon grunted, not sounding as though he particularly cared.

"Great!" Harry burst out. There was that word again. Great, great, great. But everything _was_ great. Harry felt amazing.

Uncle Vernon grunted again and put Harry's trunk in the backseat, along with Hedwig and Harry. Harry barely registered the tight space. He couldn't stop thinking about everything he seen and learned. It was funny, he mused, how he'd made one friend on the train _to_ Hogwarts and seven friends on the way back.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I love you guys so much! In just over 24 hours I have 22 followers and 20 favorites and 2 reviews! Speical thanks to LeviosaLove and serenityselena for being my first reviewers. I was wondering if any of you are Irish or know what an Irish accent should look like on paper. I'm hoping to get a special guest in the next episode. I've already given up on Oliver's accent, but I really want a good Irish one. Also, if I have any British readers, let me know if I don't get some details authentic. I probably won't update till Thursday, so Happy Holidays! Or if you don't celebrate holidays, Happy Winter! Or if it's not winter where you live, Have a Happy Week! Final word count before author's note: 2,127**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

Harry stared forlornly out his window, hoping to catch a glance of something, anything, that could be mistaken for an owl. It was three weeks into vacation, and the only letters he'd received were from Katie. Not that the letters weren't welcome, just that Harry had thought he'd had more friends than the lone blonde chaser. Harry glanced down at the letter he was writing to her right now.

_Dear Katie,_

_I'm glad that your dog is okay. I've only ever had Hedwig as a pet, but I know I'd be really worried if she got sick. My summer is going mostly good. The Dursleys don't really talk to me, and that's just the way I like it._

Harry paused, deliberating. Should he tell Katie he wasn't getting any other letters and risk sounding desperate, or brush it off and never know what happened to his friends? Finally, he decided to slip it in casually, almost like he didn't really care, just to hear what she thought.

_How are the others? I haven't heard anything from any of them all summer._

_Harry_

_P.S. Will Binns actually check my essay, or can I get away with just writing random words on parchment?_

There, he thought. Soon he'd get her reply and find out just what was going on. He grabbed the book of stamps he'd swiped from Dudley and stuck one on. Uncle Vernon had bought them so that Dudley could keep in touch with his friends, but Dudley was too lazy to actually write a letter. Harry decided that if he sent one letter to Katie each week, he'd have just enough stamps. Harry stood and left his room.

"Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked cautiously. His uncle was watching television and just grunted.

"Would you take this letter and put it in the post for me? I already put a stamp on it."

Grunt.

"I'll leave it on the table, thanks." He turned to leave.

"Wait, boy." Harry froze. "Next Thursday is an important day," Uncle Vernon began.

Next Thursday? Harry's heart raced. Next Thursday was his twelfth birthday. The Dursleys had never, ever treated his birthday as important, and sometimes ignored it all together.

"Some important associates of mine want me to make a business deal with a client. His name is Mr. Mason, and he'll be bringing his wife. I expect you to not inform them of your, er, presence." Uncle Vernon shifted. "That means no coming downstairs, no loo, no loud noises, and absolutely no…no," Uncle Vernon struggled with the word.

"Magic?" Harry offered.

"GET OUT!"

Stupid, Harry cursed himself when he was back up in his room. How could Harry have possibly thought that the Dursleys wanted to celebrate his birthday? He was the worst thing that had ever happened to them. He didn't have any friends or any family.

"Looks like it's just you and me, girl," He muttered, stroking Hedwig's feathers lovingly. She hooted at him in response, her feelings seeming to mirror his own. He sighed and sat on his bed. Right now, he just wanted summer to be over with.

* * *

"Get down here!" Petunia yelled. Harry trudged down the stairs. Today was his birthday and it was also the day the Masons were coming over. Harry hadn't received a reply from Katie yet, and there was still no mail from his supposed friends. Aunt Petunia wore a hideous salmon pink dress and was fussing over the dinner she prepared for the Masons.

"This is your dinner. Take it and leave," she snapped, pointing at two moldy pieces of bread and a lump of cheese. The doorbell rang and Aunt Petunia gave a small scream. "Go!" She whispered furiously. She smoothed out her dress and walked quickly to the door. Her wonderful Dudders and lovely Vernon stood, ready to greet their guests. She smiled in the mirror, picked out a bit of spinach, and pushed back her shoulders.

"Welcome," she beamed as she swung open the door to reveal-

A bunch of teenagers? All of the miscreants stared at her and her perfectly normal family. The oldest one, a boy with brown hair, muttered "Are you sure this is the right house?"

A blonde girl cleared her throat and said "We're looking for Harry Potter-do you know-"

"I'm here!" Harry couldn't contain himself. He couldn't believe it. It seemed almost like a dream. They were all here-Ron, Hermione, the Quidditch team, even Percy!

"Get your stuff, Harry!" The twins chorused.

"Mr. and Mrs. Er…" Angelina began.

"Dursley," Hermione supplied.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, we're here to take Harry for the rest of the summer. No need to worry-"

"We won't," Uncle Vernon said nastily.

"Right, well, I'll go help you with your stuff, Harry," Oliver said.

"I'll help, too," Percy added. The two came into the house, ignoring Aunt Petunia's protest. Harry led them to his room, Oliver gazing in wonder at all the strange muggle objects.

"Your relatives aren't very…pleasant," Percy said hesitantly.

"That's an understatement," Oliver snorted.

"I was just trying to be polite," Percy frowned.

"It's okay. I don't mind," Harry told them.

"Percy? Can you get the trunk by yourself?" Oliver asked, gravitating towards Harry's Nimbus 2000. He picked it up as if it were made of glass and drooled. Percy heaved the trunk down the stairs, and Harry followed with Hedwig, who he told to go to the Weasleys' house. Oliver carried the broom, and looked about ready to declare his love for it soon. All of the others were waiting awkwardly outside the door with the Dursleys glaring at them.

"Come on Harry!" Ron shouted, looking ready to get far away from Privet Drive. Fred and George took the trunk from Percy and put it in the back of a 1954 blue Ford Anglia. Harry looked at the small car in dismay; how would they all fit inside?

"Alright, you lot better get going soon. We're expecting some very important guests, and they won't mix with your kind," Uncle Vernon blustered.

"Oh, you mean the Masons?" Oliver began evilly.

"They won't be here for a while," Percy finished.

Uncle Vernon's face became as gray as old porridge. The twins and the girls piled into the backseat of the car and the other boys slid into the front. Ron poked his head out.

"Merlin, mate, don't just stand there." Harry hesitantly got in the front and found that there was quite a bit of room.

"That was brilliant, what you two did," Fred exclaimed.

"What exactly _did_ you do?" Alicia asked.

Oliver and Percy traded looks. "Actually, nothing. It's illegal to do magic to a muggle, and we're underage." Everyone took this in, and then the twins began laughing uproariously.

"Oh, Ollie, you've corrupted our brother," George said, wiping away a fake tear.

Percy grunted but didn't take his eyes off the sky. Wait, what?

"How are we flying? And how did we all fit in here?" Harry wondered.

"It's Dad's," Ron explained. "He managed to cast a bunch of charms on it. Mum has no idea."

"Sorry Lee couldn't be here. He had to go to his aunt's house for dinner, so we couldn't pick him up," Angelina said.

"Here's the plan," Oliver began. "I'll drop you and the Weasleys off at the Burrow. Then I'll drop the girls off at all of their houses, and then swing back to the Weasleys, put the car in the shed before Mr. Weasley gets home and pretend that my mum's just apparated me there and then left. Ron will say 'Harry just turned up in the middle of the night' and Percy will say 'I invited him' and then _you_ will give Mrs. Weasley big, sad eyes and no one will be the wiser. Any questions?"

"Just one," George piped up.

"Yeah, why Percy?" Fred continued.

"Because your mum actually trusts him," Oliver said with a pointed look.

"What's apparating?" Harry asked.

"A means of magical transport," Hermione lectured. "Quicker and cleaner than Floo, although it can drain your magic. It can also cause "splinching", the loss of a body part, which is why it is only done by wizards and witches who pass the Apparition test. The test is administered only to those sixteen and older."

"Oliver and I will be taking our test this year," Percy informed them. Harry nodded as if he understood when another question occurred to him.

"What's the Burrow?"

"Blimey, Harry, didn't you read my letters?" Ron said.

"Of course he didn't Ronald, that's why Katie owled all of us," Hermione said, exasperated.

"Oh, yeah," he murmured, ears turning red.

"It's where we live," The twins said together.

"Wait, why did you all pick me up? Not that I don't appreciate it," Harry said hastily.

"We're making up for lost time," Angelina explained. "You haven't gotten our letters, so we haven't been able to talk to you. But now, we'll actually get to see you face-to-face. All of us, including Lee, will be dropping by over the summer to see you."

"I, wow…thanks, guys," Harry was overwhelmed. These were his friends. And they were real friends too. Maybe summer wasn't too bad after all.

* * *

"This is your house?" Harry said in awe.

"It's not much," Ron said, embarrassed.

"It's perfect," Harry grinned. The whole home was leaning to one side, and Harry was certain the only way it stayed up was magic. The whole inside was decorated in oranges and browns, and it all felt very Weasley. Ron took him to his room, where Harry had never seen so much orange in his life. Chudley Cannons memorabilia was all over Ron's room, with Marvin the Muggle Comic books covering the floor.

"When I heard you were coming I pulled out a sleeping bag," Ron said quietly.

"Thanks, mate," Harry whispered, moving to get inside the bag.

"No, that's for me. You get the bed," Ron muttered.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked.

"It's just for tonight. When Mum finds out you're here, she'll bring up another bed for you. Probably Charlie's old one," He murmured.

Harry settled in to Ron's bright orange sheets and shut his eyes. It was real! He never believed that his friends would come and rescue him. He felt warm all over, and probably looked like a madman, with the cheesy grin he was sporting. His last thought before going to sleep was that he'd like to be a part of this family.

* * *

Oliver got to the Burrow at around six in the morning. Percy and Mrs. Weasley were the only ones up to see him. Mrs. Weasley was making breakfast while Percy hunched over a piece of parchment.

"Whatcha workin' on, Perce?" Oliver said, swinging himself into a chair.

"Summer homework."

"I'm surprised you're not done already," Oliver teased.

"I know. I shouldn't have taken the first two weeks off," Percy paused for a moment, looking incredibly stressed.

"I was joking! I bet most people haven't even started. And y'know, we'll get our O.W.L. results soon," Oliver said cheerfully.

"Yes, I know. That's partly what I'm so worried about. How do you think you did?"

"Ah, well…not so good," Oliver admitted sheepishly.

Percy frowned. "You always sell yourself short. You're not stupid. I'm sure if you paid half as much attention to studies as you do to Quidditch, you'd have some of the best grades in our year."

"What's this?" George cried in fake shock as he, Fred, and Ginny entered the room. "Did our dear brother just call Ol' Ollie smart?"

"In case you didn't know, darling Ginny," Fred said to his sister, "Oliver here is the Quidditch Captain."

"That means you know Harry Potter!" she squealed.

"Set the table, dear," Her mother said absently.

"Speaking of Harry, Mum, I invited him over to stay for a bit," Percy said calmly.

Ginny squeaked, dropped a plate, and caught it just in time.

"Really? When?" Mrs. Weasley asked, flustered.

"Oh, you see, that's the thing. He's here right now, up in Ron's room." Percy took a bite of his toast.

Ginny let out a shriek and dropped the plate with a crash. "Right now?" She whispered. Percy nodded. Ginny ran up the steps and slammed her door shut. Mrs. Weasley paused. Oliver held his breath. Percy stopped chewing his toast. The twins wore identical expressions of hope. Ron and Harry thundered down the stairs.

"Hey Mum," Ron said blearily, rubbing his eyes.

"Hi Mrs. Weasley," Harry said cautiously. "Thanks for the jumper and fudge."

"Oh it's nothing, dear," Mrs. Weasley waved off his thanks. "Now let's go get you some breakfast, you're entirely too skinny. Don't go in the kitchen! Ginny dropped a plate earlier…"

All six boys grinned at each other. Operation: Get Harry Home was a success!


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thanks so much for all the support going out for this fic. All of you who favorite(53!) and follow(72!) me and this story really inspire me. Special thanks to TwilightEclps, pfeil, Paddy Gurl, serialkeller, thunder18, lightsoul34, anthony37, and JannaKalderash for reviewing. I'll try to get the next chapter up either tomorrow or Saturday. Final word count before author's note: 2,538.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

Harry was having the best summer of his life. All of his friends had dropped by the Burrow at least once to see him, and today they were all coming. The Quidditch team was going to practice in the field behind the Burrow, with Lee commentating and Ron and Ginny watching. Hermione and Percy said they would watch too, but Harry was pretty sure they were just going to have an "intellectually stimulating" conversation. And actually, he was kind of worried about Ginny. She seemed nervous around him, and being nice to her just made it worse.

"Let's go!" Oliver hollered. Harry raced down the stairs with his Nimbus when Oliver shouted "Stop!"

Harry froze. "Don't run with a broom like that! She's a beauty," Oliver crooned at it.

"You can try it out if you like," Harry offered.

Oliver didn't reply, just gently took the broom from Harry and cradled it to his chest.

"Come on Harry!" Alicia said excitedly. He grinned and ran out to the yard. Lee had his microphone all set up in a tree so that he could see more of the action than from the ground. Hermione and Percy sat on a bench, Hermione chattering away and Percy, to his credit, actually listening. On another bench sat Ron and Ginny. The ginger girl flushed and hid behind her brother when she saw Harry.

"Now, I'll release the snitch, and you give it a five-minute head start," Oliver told him. He passed the quaffle to Angelina and handed Fred and George their beater bats. The twins rose into the air and Oliver released the Bludgers, which rose up into the air and immediately headed for a twin each.

"And now, the Gryffindor Quidditch team!" Lee announced dramatically. "Oliver Wood, captain and keeper, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, and Katie Bell as chasers, Fred and George Weasleys as bludgers, er, I mean beaters, and finally Harry Potter as seeker!" The "spectators" all roared as the team flew around the mock pitch, Fred absent-mindedly hitting away a bludger.

And then the game began. Harry had been given explicit instructions to hold up the snitch for Lee to see how many times he'd caught it, and Lee would make a note of it. At the end of the game, Lee would add it all up. For one hour, Oliver would be trying with all his might to block the chasers, and for another hour would just let them practice their aim. George had joked that Oliver would be acting like Scott Roberts, the Ravenclaw keeper. Roberts never paid attention, so the chasers would have a chance to get in a lot of scores. Everyone would definitely try their best and hope to win the cup this year.

In one hour, Oliver blocked all of the chasers throws. In the second hour, the chasers made all of their passes and throws. In two hours, Harry caught the snitch twelve times. The bludgers never got near the other players the whole time. The crowd had screamed themselves hoarse. Harry hadn't felt this good in a long time.

Mr. Weasley shouted "Who wants lunch?"

Mr. Weasley was pretty interesting too. He liked to ask Harry, Hermione, and Katie questions about the muggle world. From what Harry could tell, Mrs. Weasley didn't exactly _like _Mr. Weasley's enthusiasm for all things muggle, just tolerated it. Mr. Weasley had the same red hair as his children, although a bit less in terms of amount. He generally let most things go and simply tried to keep the peace between his family. He had been more than happy to let Harry stay at the Burrow, but Harry suspected Mrs. Weasley wouldn't have been swayed regardless.

Harry was happily munching on a sandwich and talking with Oliver about the current season when a loud pop was heard and a creature with floppy, bat-like ears and large eyes appeared in the Weasleys' kitchen. The creature was wearing something that resembled an old pillowcase and had wrinkly pink skin. Everyone stared at it and it stared at everyone until it saw Harry's scar.

"Mister Harry Potter Sir!" It shrieked in a high, grating voice that made Harry cringe. "Dobby has come to warn you. Mister Harry Potter Sir must not go back to Hogwarts!"

"Says who?" Ron demanded hotly.

"Dobby is trying to keep Mister Harry Potter Sir safe. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will hurt Mister Harry Potter Sir."

"He's back?" Hermione gasped.

"Not He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, miss. He is not trying to hurt Mister Harry Potter Sir! He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has friends!" Dobby moaned.

"Yeah, well, Harry has friends too," Lee retorted. Harry felt that warm feeling again.

"Friends that don't write to Mister Harry Potter Sir?" Dobby inquired slyly.

"You've been taking the letters then? It's been a house elf this whole time?" Percy asked.

"Wait a moment, aren't you the Malfoy house elf?" Mr. Weasley scratched his balding head.

Dobby let out a yelp and gave one last warning. "Mister Harry Potter Sir mustn't go back to Hogwarts!" And then he popped away.

"What was that?" Harry asked.

"_That_ was a house elf. They're bound to serve one family for their whole life. If they don't, their magic gets a severe drain. I'm not entirely sure why they love serving so much, but I've learned that it's best not to ask. The only way a house elf can be set free is if their master gives them clothes. Any article of clothing will work, really, but the elves start bawling at the thought," Mr. Weasley explained.

"But that's awful!" Katie exclaimed.

"It's like slavery," Hermione chimed in.

"Not really. Only if you get a really bad family like the Malfoys as your master," Mr. Weasley said calmly.

Harry, meanwhile, was thinking about more than house elves. Dobby had said that Voldemort had friends, which meant that it was actually not Voldemort himself, but a minion that was going to cause trouble. And Dobby was the Malfoy house elf, which meant that it was either the Malfoys themselves of friends of the Malfoys.

"Ready for another game, Harry?" The twins chorused.

"Not another game," Oliver cut in. Everyone glanced at him in surprise. "I was hoping I could take Harry up on his test ride offer."

"Sure," Harry agreed. Maybe it would take his mind off the warning.

An hour later, everyone except Hermione (who was afraid of heights) and Ginny (who had gone back to her room) had ridden the Nimbus. The Quidditch team and Lee sat under a willow tree to discuss possible tactics for the upcoming year, but they got sidetracked.

"They say England's got a good chance of going to the World Cup," Lee said cheerfully.

"Wouldn't it be amazing to be on the World Cup team?" Oliver said dreamily.

"Wouldn't it be amazing if we were _all_ on the World Cup team?" Angelina countered.

"Wouldn't it be amazing if I were commentator at the World Cup match?" Lee corrected.

"Only one problem-"Fred began.

"-Fred and I will be working-" George continued.

"-at our joke shop," They finished together. They were all silent for a moment as they considered this.

"Well, we'll just have to refuse unless the let the best beaters in England play with us," Angelina said. They all grinned.

"I dunno if I'll be able to commentate without McGonagall there to yell at me," Lee said, resuming their conversation. "Today felt weird without her yelling 'JORDAN!'" They all laughed.

"We could sign autographs!" Katie beamed.

"We'll be known all over the world," Angelina sighed.

"And best of all-"George started.

"-we'll be rich!" Fred completed.

Harry already had all of these things, but he knew it would be different. This would be for something _he'd_ done, something _he'd_ remember. He'd have earned all of it himself. He could see it now. All of them on their world class brooms, zooming around a stadium much bigger than the one at Hogwarts, Lee's voice echoing throughout, the feel of the snitch when Harry caught it and won the game…the whole scene followed Harry everywhere, including his dreams that night.

The next morning Mr. and Mrs. Weasley took all of the kids to Diagon Alley. It was Harry's first ever experience with the Floo network. He vaguely recalled Hermione mentioning something about in the car, but he still wasn't sure what it was.

"Just take a pinch of this Floo powder, dear, and throw it into the fire," Mrs. Weasley instructed. "Wait for the flames to turn green, then shout out the name of your destination, in this case Diagon Alley, and step into the fire. You have to yell loud and clear or you won't end up in the right place."

He had to step into flames? Harry's unease must have shown on his face, because Percy cleared his throat and spoke up.

"Mum, remember last time Ron got lost?"

"What? No I didn't-Ow!" Ron yelped as George stepped on his foot. "I mean, yeah. Of course."

"Did he?" Mrs. Weasley appeared mildly disconcerted. "Oh dear, I hope it doesn't happen again."

"I was thinking that I could Floo with Harry, George with Ginny, and Fred could go with Ron. That way, nothing should go wrong," Percy suggested.

"Yes! Good thinking Percy. Right, let's get going. Harry and Percy first," Mrs. Weasley said happily.

Harry gulped. _Calm down_, he told himself. _You've walked through flames before._

_But that was different. That was a life or death situation. This you trying to get books for school. Going through flames now was unnecessary._

"Hold on tight," Percy encouraged. "Diagon Alley!" He shouted, and Harry shut his eyes tight and stepped forward.

All at once he felt like getting out. He managed to get some green ashes in his mouth. He felt as though he were in a tornado, being tossed around and dizzy. He kept spinning faster and faster when Dobby's words echoed in his head.

"_He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will hurt Mister Harry Potter Sir!"_

Was this how he would die? Being thrown from fireplace to fireplace, feeling ill with green powder in his system? But then Percy tugged on his arm and they stepped into a familiar restaurant.

"The Leaky Cauldron!" Harry gasped.

"It's technically the entrance. You might want to clean up before the other get here." Percy gestured to Harry's clothes, which were covered in green soot. Harry flushed and hurriedly brushed off all of his clothes and, for good measure, shook out his hair.

The Weasleys, with their bright red hair, were very easy to find. The large family set off to Gringotts, although Ron glanced longingly at Quality Quidditch Supplies, where it seemed that yet another new broom had been released. First, Harry and the Weasleys went to the Weasley's vault. Harry tried not to look, but he still saw that Mrs. Weasley cleared out almost the whole vault, and she still didn't have very much left. Next, they went down to Harry's vault. Instantly, Harry felt wasteful and spoiled, but he knew that offering any money to the Weasleys wouldn't work. _Still_, he vowed to himself, _I'll have to_ _donate some money._

"Now, you two said that Hermione is going to meet us in Flourish and Blotts? We'd better head over there now. We should get all your schoolbooks," Mr. Weasley said. "Looks like your Defence teacher is a big Gilderoy Lockhart fan."

"Who wouldn't be?" Mrs. Weasley gushed. "He's so charming and brave and handsome, _and_ he can write."

Fred and George made faces behind Mrs. Weasley's back. Fred made a fake gagging motion. George puffed out his chest and gave a cheesy smile in imitation of Lockhart. Percy joined in, batting his eyelashes frantically. Altogether they created such a funny image that Harry and Ron began laughing boisterously. Mr. Weasley glanced back at them for a moment, but Mrs. Weasley stayed focused on books.

"Oh, look Arthur! Lockhart's holding a book signing today," Mrs. Weasley beamed, pointing to a large banner hanging over Flourish and Blotts.

"Hermione probably knew about it. That's why she picked today to go," Ron whispered.

"I think she gets the newsletter," Harry whispered back.

Ron snorted. "Typical."

Gilderoy Lockhart had thick wavy blonde hair and a blindingly white smile. He wore periwinkle robes and a pointed wizard's hat. Every woman in the bookshop sighed and eagerly awaited his signature, including Mrs. Weasley.

A short, fat, balding man tried to shove his way through the crowd and pushed Ron.

"Oi!" Ron yelled. "What's that for?"

Gilderoy Lockhart heard him, glanced up, and saw Harry.

"Well, well, well," he boomed. "Even Harry Potter showed up to my little book signing." He gave a big smile to the crowd and then put his arm around Harry. "So tell me Harry, what brings you here? Besides me, of course."

All the women sighed again.

"Er, well- I need my books," Harry began.

"Ah yes, Hogwarts," Lockhart interrupted. "I believe all of my books are going to be used for your Defence Against the Dark Arts class. Well, do I have a surprise planned for you. Not only will my books be used in that class, but I myself will be in that class. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I will in fact, be Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. And, to celebrate, I shall give Harry all of my books, free of charge."

The whole bookstore burst into applause. Harry felt his face turn red.

"Now, Harry," Lockhart murmured through clenched teeth. "Smile nice and big, and together we'll make the front page."

It turned out that the man who knocked Ron over was a reporter for the Daily Prophet. The flash from the camera repeatedly blinded Harry, and Lockhart's arm around Harry tightened with every click. Finally the photographer decided he was done. Harry wriggled away and moved towards Ginny.

"Here, you can have my books. I'll get my own," Harry muttered.

"Bet you loved that didn't you Potter?" Draco Malfoy drawled from behind Harry.

"Leave him alone!" Ginny defended him.

"Got a new girlfriend, Potter?" Malfoy sneered.

Ron and Hermione popped up to help Harry.

"Bet you're surprised to see Harry here," Ron snarled.

"Not as surprised as I am to see you in this shop. Will your family go hungry for a month just to make a futile attempt to educate you?"

"Come on kids, let's go," Mr. Weasley appeared to take them away.

"What a pleasant surprise, Arthur." Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father, showed up just in time to prevent the Weasleys from leaving. Draco looked a lot like his father, but Mr. Malfoy had long, shoulder-length hair and he carried a cane with him. "I do hope the Ministry is paying you overtime for all those raids you've been going on lately." He saw Ginny's secondhand _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration _and curled his lip. "Obviously not. Honestly, you disgrace the name of wizard and don't even earn decent pay?"

"We both have different ideas of disgrace," Mr. Weasley said tightly.

"Clearly," Lucius sneered. "And just when I thought your company couldn't get any worse," He added, spying the Grangers.

And then, without warning, Arthur Septimus Weasley pushed Lucius Abraxas Malfoy into a bookcase.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Wow you guys! I couldn't be happier right now. I love hearing your feedback. Thanks to all my followers and favoriters, with special thanks to new reviewers LadyLombax, Susan M. M, The Good Child, and Kairan1979. Extra special thanks to returning reviewers anthony37, serenityselena, thunder18, and serialkeller. Right now I'm looking at an update tomorrow morning, but if not then, the day after will work too. Final word count before author's note: 1,670**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

"That was awesome!" Fred and George said in unison.

"No," Mrs. Weasley said sharply. "Not, it was not. Honestly Arthur, what did you think you were doing? Think of the example you just set for the children."

Arthur Weasley glanced at all the kids hanging out at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Percy was reading _Prefects Who Gained Power_. Harry and Ron were eating their sundaes happily. Fred and George were whispering to each other, most likely prank ideas. Hermione was already about a third of the way through a Gilderoy Lockhart book. Ginny appeared to be writing in a diary. Arthur didn't think they were particularly affected by what he'd done, but he didn't say so.

"And oh! What will people say? It's a good thing Hagrid was there to break up the fight. Lucius Malfoy could ruin you."

"I'm not afraid of him," Arthur said mutinously.

You should be, Harry thought darkly. He had seen Mr. Malfoy slip something into Ginny's cauldron after the two men had stopped fighting. It had been very fleeting and Harry hadn't gotten a good look at it, but he was certain that Ginny hadn't had that diary before. Even more suspicious was the way she always paused after writing something. Harry badly wanted to say something to the girl, but what if he was wrong? What if Harry said everything he thought in front of the Weasleys and it was just Harry being paranoid after the visit from Dobby? The Weasleys hadn't mentioned afterward, but Harry still worried. What if they thought him insane for getting anxious about a Malfoy house elf? Harry decided later that he'd confront Ginny when she was alone.

* * *

Draco Malfoy walked down Diagon Alley with his head held high. Stupid Potter and Weasley. Who did they think they were? Draco was ten times better than the two of them combined. His father would get them back and Arthur Weasley too. Draco had seen his father slip something into the Weasley girl's cauldron. He didn't know what it was, but he knew that it would be good revenge.

What made Draco even happier, though, was the fact that a brand new Nimbus 2001 had just been sent to his house, and six identical ones had been sent to every current member of the Slytherin Quidditch team. Draco was determined to be seeker and go up against Potter. He'd show everyone who the better flyer was. He'd beat Potter every time, and the Potter would regret ever crossing a Malfoy.

* * *

A week later at the Burrow, Harry tossed and turned in Charlie's old bed. He couldn't stop thinking about Dobby, the Malfoys, and Ginny. What was he going to do? He wasn't even sure that Ginny _was_ in danger, but he didn't want to take that chance. Realizing that he wasn't going to get any sleep, Harry padded downstairs to get a glass of water. What he wasn't expecting to find was Ginny, seated at the kitchen table, writing in the little black book.

Harry went to move close and stepped on a squeaky floor board. The noise bounced off walls, making Ginny let out a gasp.

"Er, hi," Harry said awkwardly. "I just, um, wanted to get something to drink."

Ginny stared.

"What are you writing?" Harry ventured.

Still she stared.

"Right well, I'm gonna go back to bed." Harry turned to leave.

"Wait!" Ginny cried. "I-you don't have to leave." She still couldn't meet his eyes, but at least she seemed able to talk to him.

"Oh, um, okay." He sat across from her and tried not to be obvious as she scribbled in the diary.

"It's enchanted," Ginny spoke up suddenly.

"What?"

"You asked what I was writing. It's an enchanted diary. When I write something, it writes back." Ginny seemed to find a family portrait behind Harry very interesting.

"Ginny-"

"It's not dark magic," Ginny cut him off. "Tom's very nice."

"Tom?" Harry questioned.

"It's the diary's name. Listen, he's not going to hurt me. He's a _diary_!"

"Ginny, look." Harry said seriously. "I saw Lucius Malfoy put that in your cauldron. Whatever he's done can't be good."

"Maybe he didn't know what it was. Did you ever consider that?" Ginny challenged. "Maybe this diary's harmless. You can't take it away from me!" Ginny fled the room.

Harry cursed himself. He definitely wouldn't be getting any sleep.

* * *

Incidentally, the next day was one he really should have been well-rested for. It was September 1st, and Harry now had the rather strange feeling of wanting to go back to Hogwarts while also wanting to stay at the Burrow. He found it hard to get out of bed the next morning and began to wish he'd never gone to talk to Ginny. Perhaps then he'd have gotten some sleep.

All summer Harry had delighted in seeing so many people live under one roof, but now Harry simply found it irritating. It seemed Harry couldn't go _anywhere_ in the house without seeing flaming red hair. All of the Weasleys appeared to be tripping over each other in their haste, and Harry was certain that he wasn't helping matters. It seemed he and Percy were the only ones to follow Mrs. Weasley's instructions and pack their trunks the night before.

"HURRY UP!" Mrs. Weasley screamed up the staircase. Hedwig and Hermes, Percy's owl, were waiting by the door along with George and Harry's brooms. Everyone clambered down, Ginny giving Harry an angry look as she passed. Ron looked back and forth between the two of them and mouthed 'What's going on?'

Harry shrugged in response.

Mr. Weasley packed the luggage in the trunk, all of it fitting in neatly thanks to his charms. All of the boys fit in the back comfortably, with Ginny, Mrs. Weasley, and Mr. Weasley in front. Finally it seemed that the family was off.

"I forgot something!" George shouted. "My Filibuster Fireworks are back home."

Mr. Weasley turned around and George raced in and came back out, a brightly illustrated box in hand. And then they were off. Or not.

"I forgot my broom!" Fred cried. "How am I supposed to play Quidditch without a broom?"

So Mr. Weasley turned around again so that Fred could grab his broom and stuff it in the trunk. So now they were ready. Except they weren't.

"I forgot my diary!" Ginny shrieked.

"I think you'll be okay," Harry replied coolly.

"No, I won't," Ginny snapped.

Mr. Weasley swung the Ford Anglia around for the third time and let Ginny out. Then all the remaining Weasleys turned to look at Harry.

"Are you alright, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "Did that house elf frighten you?"

"No," Harry said simply.

"Because, you know, it's perfectly fine to be afraid of something like that," Mr. Weasley said.

"I know." Everyone paused, as though searching for something to say. Ginny flung open the car door, looking very upset.

"What's the matter dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"I can't find it," Ginny complained.

"It was probably Malfoy trying to scare you," Ron muttered.

"What?" Harry started.

"The house elf," Ron whispered matter-of-factly. "It's just Malfoy being Malfoy."

"You're right," Harry nodded slowly. But secretly, his mind was focused on something much more complicated than a house elf.

The Weasleys arrived at the station with only five minutes left to spare. Mrs. Weasley glanced worriedly at the clock.

"Ginny, sweetheart, let's have a quick chat. The rest of you, _try_ not to be obvious. Percy and Mr. Weasley went on the platform first, followed by Fred and George. Harry and Ron glanced back at each other, then at Mrs. Weasley and Ginny.

"Reckon we should go now then?" Ron asked.

"I guess so," Harry said.

The two boys pushed their way through the wall between platforms nine and ten to find the scarlet Hogwarts Express.

They waited with the others for a bit when a loud pop was heard. Harry looked around wildly for Dobby, but instead saw Mrs. Weasley and Ginny. Ginny didn't appear very happy and simply dragged her trunk onto the train.

"Arthur, it was the strangest thing. The platform seemed to be sealed. I had to apparate us here. Now, I want you all to stay out of trouble and keep your grades up. I don't want to get any letters from school unless they're about how wonderful you're all doing. Have a good year and I'll see you for Christmas. Now go!" She made a shooing motion with her hand.

Harry and Ron searched the whole train until they found Hermione, Lee, and the Quidditch team. He grinned when he saw all of his friends. Everyone shouted out greetings and then everyone went silent. Harry was confused; why weren't they saying anything?

"Happy Birthday!" They all yelled.

"Wh-W-What?" Harry stuttered. "You guys, I thought getting me out of the Dursleys _was_ my birthday present?"

"Of course not," Alicia laughed. A few wrapped packages were passed to Harry.

Oliver had given Harry some seeker gloves. Angelina, Alicia, and Katie managed to get him a signed copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages_. Fred, George, and Lee got him a huge box of pranking supplies from Zonko's Joke Shop. Ron got him an assortment of sweets. It was Hermione's gift though, that Harry appreciated most.

"Protection Against the Darkest of Magic," Harry read. "Thanks Hermione!"

"I figured it would be useful after last year. If you don't like it, I can take it back," Hermione said nervously.

"No, this is great!" Harry exclaimed. "I'll start reading this right away."

Hermione smiled shyly.

Ron spotted his sister right outside the compartment. "Do you want to come in Gin? We still have room," he offered.

"Is he going to be there" she spat venomously, glaring at Harry.

"Well, yeah." Ron frowned.

"Then no," Ginny snapped and stalked away.

"Blimey Harry, what did you do to her?" Ron asked dazedly.

Harry simply shrugged and put his hand in his pocket and felt the small, black book.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:Wow! Just Wow! I can't believe how many people have been following and favoriting. As of right now, I have 128 followers and 94 favorites. Think we can bring the favorite number up to 100? Also, apparently I've been added to six communities, so thanks to all of those. Thanks to reviewers anthony37, LadyLombax (wooh! Shout-out!), The Good Child, serialkeller, A Lady of Time, Mimi, serenityselena, wolfish-willow, thunder18, and Kairan1979. Now, I know that some of you want Harry to go to Dumbledore, and some of you don't particularly enjoy the headmaster. So, let me know in a review how you feel, and majority rules. Next update will be either tomorrow or the day after. Final word count before author's note: 1,828.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter franchise.**

Percy dropped by their compartment later on.

"Aren't you supposed to be patrolling?" Angelina asked him.

"I am. I'm making sure that Hogwarts' biggest pranksters don't blow up the train. No one else wanted to volunteer," Percy explained.

"Wait, you mean we've had prefects-"

"-watching us every train ride?"

"We feel honored!"

Rolling his eyes at the twins' antics, Oliver asked eagerly "What did you get on your O.W.L.s?

"Nine Outstandings and one Exceeds Expectations," Percy said disappointedly. "And you?"

"One Acceptable, One Outstanding, and seven Exceeds Expectations. I thought I did pretty good, but you just about blew me out of the water. You're probably upset about the one E, too," Oliver said glumly.

Percy nodded sheepishly. "But still, you did great. And it's not like you'll need all of these for Quidditch," Percy reassured him.

Oliver shrugged. "What'd you get an E in anyway?"

"Herbology," Percy muttered angrily.

"What are O.W.L.s?" Harry asked.

"Ordinary Wizarding Levels. They're exams that students take at the end of fifth year. The results determine what N.E.W.T. classes you get into, or Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests. Different teachers have different requirements for their N.E.W.T. level classes. The amount of N.E.W.T.s you earn determines what job you get," Hermione lectured.

"Snape only accepts Outstandings, which means I don't have to take Potions this year," Oliver said cheerfully.

"But Binns has really low expectations, which means you'll be sitting in there with me," Percy smirked.

"Speaking of Hogwarts professors, can you believe that Gilderoy Lockhart is going to be teaching us?" Katie gushed.

Lee groaned. "It'll be torture. The bloody idiot can't even tell which side of a wand to use."

"Don't say things like that!" Alicia admonished him. "Think of all the great things he's done."

"All the great things he _says_ he's done," Ron muttered, irritated.

"Hang on, where's Ginny?" Percy asked suddenly.

"She threw a fit because she didn't want to be in the same compartment as Harry Potter. Not sure why, seeing as how a week ago she wouldn't stop fawning over him," Ron said.

"Harry, did you ever find anything out about that house elf?" Hermione asked.

"No. Just that he's property of the Malfoys," Harry said disgustedly.

"Speaking of which," Ron said with a grin, "There's a certain story we should tell."

The Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione filled in the others about the fight at Flourish and Blotts.

"_Your dad_ got in a fight with _Lucius Malfoy_?" Angelina gasped.

"He would've won too, if Hagrid hadn't broken it up," Percy said. Everyone looked at him in shock. "What?"

"Are you, Perfect Prefect Percy, actually upset that the fight was broken up?" Katie asked.

Percy turned pink and quickly changed the subject. "You should've seen Lockhart's face," He said. "He was smiling, like he was happy about it."

"I heard him talk to that photographer, wondering if he could use it for publicity," Ron said heatedly.

"He wouldn't do that!" Hermione said disbelievingly.

"So do you think Malfoy will do something to get you back?" Alicia asked worriedly.

"Nah. He's too chicken," The twins said together.

Harry figured that now would be a good time to mention the diary, but something held him back. He wanted to look at the diary first himself. What did Lucius Malfoy think he would accomplish by dumping it into Ginny's cauldron? Harry was certain that it couldn't have been anything good. No, he decided. He would keep it to look at later and then turn it in.

* * *

As it turned out, Harry didn't have to wait very long to see school again. Second years and up were taken to Hogwarts by way of carriage. Nothing except magic seemed to be pulling it, which was a very strange concept for Harry to grasp. Weirder still was the thought that he left his luggage on the train for someone to pick up, and he wasn't even sure who it was!

Only six people were allowed per carriage. The twins, Lee, and the Gryffindor chasers went in one with Percy, Oliver, Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Neville Longbottom in another. The slightly nervous boy was clutching his toad tightly and glancing at the older boys fearfully.

"How was your summer, Neville?" Hermione said conversationally.

Neville jumped. "Oh um, I suppose it was alright. I mainly worked in the greenhouse with my Aunt May."

"You're Neville Longbottom, right?" Percy checked.

Neville started at being addressed by a sixth year and nodded anxiously.

"I'm Percy Weasley and this is Oliver Wood."

"I know who you are. You're a prefect and he's Quidditch Captain." Neville ducked his head and flushed.

"Well, don't I feel famous?" Oliver joked. Neville smiled nervously in response.

"Are you excited for a new year?" Harry asked, hoping to put the boy at ease.

"Er yeah, I guess so. Gran wasn't too happy with my practical results on exams." Neville winced.

"What kind of wand are you using?" Percy asked.

"Erm, well, it's my dad's old one."

Both Percy and Oliver frowned.

"That's not really a good idea," Oliver told him. "The wand should really pick you. Just because it worked for your father doesn't mean it will work for you. A wizard needs his _own_ wand."

Neville visibly brightened at the thought of getting a new wand. "I'll tell Gran straight away," he promised.

Ron stared glumly at his own wand, unicorn hair poking out. Harry avoided looking at him or Percy, and instead pulled out the book Hermione had given him for his birthday.

"_There are many wizards and witches out there who claim to be either light or dark, but no one can be one or the other. Everyone has a little of each inside, just as each spell does. For example, Lumos is often used to light one's way in the dark. However, if cast by an extremely powerful wizard and shone directly into the eyes of an opponent, it could permanently damage vision._

_At the opposite side of the spectrum, a slicing hex is often used to injured opponents in battle, and is generally thought of as dark. However, say this spell is used for a mundane task, such as chopping vegetables. Is the slicing hex still considered dark? Why or why not? This book provides the answer to these questions, as well as give many basic and detailed defense tactics."_

Harry was broken out of his concentration by a girly squeal. The only female in the carriage was Hermione though, and she simply didn't do things like that. When he looked up to find her smiling widely at him, he was more than a bit confused.

"You're reading it!" She shrieked. "You're actually reading it. No one ever reads the books I give them, but I don't know what else to get."

"It's a good book," Harry said awkwardly.

"Oh no, Neville! We've lost Harry to the dark side!" Ron moaned.

"Harry, mate, you've got to come back. Think of Quidditch!" Oliver pleaded.

"Don't listen to him, Harry!" Percy exclaimed. "Oliver can't read anything that doesn't mention Quidditch!"

"What happened to me being smart?" Oliver asked incredulously.

"Fine. Name your favorite book that doesn't have any Quidditch in it," Percy challenged.

"Uh, well…" Oliver strained to see the title of Harry's book, but Percy blocked his view.

"Okay, fine, I don't have a favorite book that doesn't include Quidditch. Happy?"

"Very," Percy smiled triumphantly.

After their banter, conversation in the carriage was a lot easier. Neville seemed to be sitting taller every time someone addressed him, and by the time the carriage pulled up to Hogwarts, he appeared to be taller than Ron.

Harry had never seen a sorting before when he wasn't the one being sorted. He was wondering if any of the first years would see him, would point and whisper "that's Harry Potter!" He decided to sit behind Dean Thomas so that no first year would be able to see him.

He was so worried that one would catch sight of him that he didn't peer around Dean until the C's.

"Creevey, Colin!" Professor McGonagall called.

A short boy with mousy brown hair ran up to the stool, practically vibrating with excitement. The hat was on his head for less than five seconds before it shouted "Gryffindor!"

Harry's table went up in cheers and Colin Creevey came racing towards them.

"Hey! Aren't you-"He pointed to Harry.

"Shh!" Everyone around the boy hissed.

"Oops," Colin whispered and finally sat down. Harry smiled at the boy.

Harry, watching the sorting, felt so much older than the first years. They had no idea what kind of fantastic things they'd be experiencing. They all looked so small and afraid. Harry wondered if he'd looked like that last year. Probably.

Finally, "Weasley, Ginevra!" was called, and a girl with red hair carefully made her way to the stool. The hat stayed on her head for quite a while. Across from Harry, Ron held his breath. Harry was starting to wonder what was taking so long when the hat shouted "Gryffindor!"

The house table leapt up and cheered. She smiled and walked towards them, but her look soured upon finding Harry there. Eventually she just sat next to Colin.

Dumbledore rose from the head table. "Welcome, students, staff, and ghosts, to another year at Hogwarts. I am delighted to see all of you. First, I would like to introduce Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, who will be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts."

Lockhart rose from his seat and flashed everyone a wide smile, seemingly trying to show every single tooth in his mouth. As if on cue, every female in the room swooned. Oliver rolled his eyes.

"Yes, well," Dumbledore cleared his throat. Snape glared daggers at Lockhart as the blonde sat down.

"In other news, the Forbidden Forest is _still_ forbidden, contrary to what some rule-breakers may believe." His eyes twinkled. "Also, Mr. Filch has asked me to inform you that 17 more items have been banned from school grounds. The complete list is posted on the door of Mr. Filch's office. And now, as I think we are all getting a bit hungry, tuck in." The food appeared on the table and all the first years gasped. Ron let out a whoop of appreciation.

Conversation started all around Harry, and he tried to pay attention to everyone. Seamus was talking to Dean about Quidditch and Dean was talking to Seamus about football. Oliver and Percy were comparing their O.W.L. scores with the other sixth years. Hermione, Katie, and some other girls were talking about Lockhart. Fred, George, and Lee were discussing pranking ideas. Listening to it all made Harry's head hurt, so he just focused on his food.

"What about you Harry?" Percy asked.

"Er, yeah, sure," Harry said, trying not to show that he hadn't been listening.

"Great, let's go!" Percy jumped up.

"Wait, what?"

And that was how Harry Potter was tricked into guiding the first year Gryffindors to the Common Room.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: You guys are so amazing! I hit 100 favorites last night at around 5:30, but now I have 125. And of course I can't leave out my lovely followers, all 216 of you. Special thanks goes out to reviewers Lightningblade49, loretta537, Spring Raine, Kine X, SomeGuyFawkes, agnar, Wonderbee31, slicerness, Cateagle, LadyLombax, A Lady of Time, red-jacobson, serenityselena, Majerus, serialkeller, femalefarrier, wolfish-willow, thunder18, and Kairan1979. Whew! The list keeps growing and growing. Also, I know that some of you may find the ending of this chapter kind of predictable, but it's actually not what you think it is. Final word count before author's note: 1,735**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise or The Times.**

First years, Harry realized, were incredibly irritating. They seemed in awe of every little thing, even the _non_-magical details that Harry hadn't bothered with when he was eleven, like the floors. They all chattered away at each other, being obvious about their pointing at the portraits. A picture of a knight preened under the attention, while a mother with her child simply turned away.

"They're so annoying," Harry whispered to Percy.

"I thought you and your year were, too," Percy replied calmly.

"What?" Harry asked, affronted.

Percy just grinned.

"Hey Harry!" A high-pitched voice said. Harry turned and was blinded by a bright flash. He groaned and rubbed his eyes. He could hear Ginny snickering at him. The world finally came back into focus and he saw Colin Creevey smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry I didn't warn you. I just wanted to get a picture of a dangerous looking wizard standing next to a suit of armor," Colin explained.

"Dangerous looking?" Harry asked blankly.

"You haven't stopped scowling since we left the Great Hall," Ginny said scornfully.

"Oh, er, I'm really sorry," Harry apologized to all of the first years. Oliver's words echoed throughtout his head

"_I don't think that's what Godric Gryffindor would have wanted."_

Harry squared his shoulders. What had McGonagall said before his sorting? Something about your house being your family? No doubt she had given the same speech to these first years. He'd make sure it came true.

"Now, if you make a left right down this hallway, you'll come to the library. The librarian is Madam Pince. She can be kind of scary, and she can hold a grudge, so always be really quiet and make sure to return your books on time. If you don't, she won't let you check any out when you really need them."

"Astronomy is held at midnight for you guys, and you'll be really tired the next day, so make sure you take a nap before class. Don't oversleep though, because Professor Sinistra really doesn't like it when you're tardy."

"Never give Snape any reason to take points off. Don't even breathe too loudly, because on a bad day, that really gets on his nerves."

"Never, ever, _ever_ taunt Peeves. He likes to do his best to get you in trouble, and he thinks it's funny to watch people get angry with him. The best thing to do is to remain calm."

By the time they reached the portrait hole, all of the first years looked up to Harry. All except Ginny, of course. But, Harry thought, you can't win them all.

"Harry!" Ron bellowed as soon as he saw him. "Doesn't Dad have a flying car?"

"Don't answer that," Percy advised Harry.

"Come on Ron," he said to his brother. "Let's go have a little chat."

Seamus, Dean, and Neville were playing a game of Exploding Snap and eagerly asked him if he'd join. He agreed, and the game had barely begun when another bright camera flash went off. Harry looked up to find who else but Colin Creevey.

"What's the picture for?" Dean asked curiously.

"My dad. He's a milkman, and we never dreamed that I'd get to go to a place like Hogwarts! I just wanted to show him what it's like," Colin explained.

"I know what you mean," Dean sympathized. "My step-dad is a journalist for The Times and my mum's a florist. They were both really surprised when I got my letter."

And that in itself seemed to make Dean Colin's new hero. Satisfied that he was safe (for now, at least) Harry excused himself and went up to his dorm. He waited a bit to see if anyone would follow him up and then took the diary out. He stared at if for a moment, as if waiting for it to do something, when he felt an intense pain in his scar. He rubbed at it angrily and looked away. Instantly, the pain eased. He paused, thinking about it. Slowly, he turned his head to look at the diary. The pain was even fiercer this time and he let out a hiss of pain. He turned his head away quickly and felt a stab of anger. How was he supposed to examine the diary now if he couldn't even look at it?

He gritted his teeth and looked at the diary again. This time he worked through the pain and opened up the diary, ready to read. Instead, he found nothing. He frantically thumbed through the pages, but _all _of them were blank. Maybe Ginny just wanted to scare him? But no, he had seen her writing in it. But how was he going to determine if the diary was dark or not if he couldn't see what was written?

Still in pain, Harry picked up a quill and dipped it in ink. Carefully, he wrote.

_Hello Tom. My name is Harry Potter._

The reply came almost instantly.

_How do you know my name?_

Harry pondered how to answer that.

_I don't really feel like telling you that._

_Fine. Then I don't have to answer any of your questions either._

_You're sort of childish. I expected more of you._

_So you know about me then?_

Actually, Harry didn't have a clue who Tom was, but he decided to feed the man's ego.

_Of course, who hasn't?_

_Tell me, am I known as Tom Riddle or Lord Voldemort?_

Harry froze and reread the sentence. And read it again. And again. And then he slammed the diary shut and looked away. Tom was Voldemort. That was why his scar hurt so much. Ginny had been talking to Voldemort. An eleven year old girl had been talking to a dark lord. The question was, did she know it?

Harry heard thundering footsteps up the staircase and he hid the diary under his mattress. Seamus, Dean, and Neville burst through the door.

"Hey Harry!" Seamus greeted him. "How was your summer?"

"It was good," Harry said casually. "I spent most of them time at Ron's house. Where is he, by the way?"

"Fred and George tested a prank on him," Dean grinned. "He's begging Percy to get rid of it for him, but Percy refuses to even talk to him."

"Why?" Neville asked.

"He told you guys about the car," Harry explained. "No one's really supposed to know about it."

"Oh," Neville frowned.

"Can you believe that bloody ponce is supposed to be our Defence teacher?" Seamus said, flopping down on his bed.

"I'm gonna fail exams," Neville moaned.

"Don't worry Neville. We probably all will if Lockhart's our teacher all year," Dean comforted him.

Ron walked in the room and slammed the door shut behind him, face tomato red to match his hair.

"You got it off," Seamus said disappointedly.

Harry wondered what "it" was.

"Yeah," Ron said glumly. "Oliver didn't know what was going on, just that Fred and George pranked me, so he fixed it."

"Well, at least you got it off," Neville offered optimistically.

"I guess," Ron muttered.

No one really wanted to stay up talking, so they all turned out the lights and went to sleep. All except Harry, that is. He stayed awake, thinking of what he now possessed. Lord Voldemort was preserved in diary form, and might be able to get out and kill everyone.

* * *

Ginny Weasley lay awake in her dorm room. All of the other girls had simply given her the evil eye when she said she hated Harry Potter and turned their backs on her. They all giggled and blushed thinking about him. Ginny couldn't believe that only a week ago she would've done the same. All of her ridiculous fantasies about Harry Potter coming to rescue her from a dragon or a Dark Lord were so horribly fake. He was really just an awful boy, like her her brother, laughing at her dreams and throwing them back in her face.

And that wasn't the only thing wrong. The hat tried to sort her into Slytherin. _Her_, Ginevra Molly Weasley, a Slytherin? She had argued with it for what felt like ages, and when Percy asked her at the feast what had taken so long, she had to lie and say that the hat wanted to put her in Ravenclaw.

On the train, Ron, her own brother, wouldn't make Harry leave so she could sit there. Instead, she had to share a compartment with Looney Lovegood and a strange boy with a camera. As if that wasn't enough they got in the same boat with her too. Another boy, Malcolm Baddock, sat with them and didn't say a word the whole time.

Plus, the fifth year prefect for Gryffindor skived off his duties, so Percy and _Harry_ showed them around the castle. Anyone who didn't love him before definitely did after that. Ginny was the only one who kept her head on, who realized Harry was only doing it to make other people like him. Ginny wasn't about to fall for that. She knew everything that was going on.

Who did he think he was? He couldn't just barge in and take over her family. She was supposed to be the star, the center of attention, the youngest, the only girl. But they all loved Harry Potter. He was respectful and polite, her mother said. He's a good boy, her father claimed. Fred and George thought he was fun, Percy thought he was smart. When Ginny asked Ron what he liked best about Harry stinkin' Potter, he simply replied

"He's Harry."

Well, Ginny didn't like any of that. And worst of all, she didn't even have Tom to talk to. Harry had taken that away from her too. Wait a minute….

* * *

Harry had finally fallen asleep around midnight, but he tossed and turned the whole time. He kept thinking he heard noises, and once he even felt something like hands rolling him over. He managed to convince himself that it was his imagination, but at around two in the morning, he heard a loud thump that woke everyone bar Neville up. Harry opened his eyes in time to see a figure closing the door and he glanced around the room. Drawers had been opened and trunks were rummaged through. The thief had obviously been looking for something specific. Harry felt a sense of dread. Quickly, he felt under his mattress.

The diary was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Looks like you guys have some pretty strong feelings. Harry's apparently a moron, and Ginny's even got death threats! I hope this chapter changes your mind. As usual thanks to my 155 favorites and 277 followers. Special thanks goes out to reviewers kentrek1, serenityselena, MariusDarkwolf, Majerus, Belladonna16, SomeGuyFawkes, Katzztar, LadyLombax, Cateagle, mwinter1, Spring Raine, Loves to read books, Evangelynn, Deadzepplin, Kairan1979, mrrlyn, wolfish-willow, serialkeller, wolfey141, A Lady of Time, Wonderbee31, slicerness, Lightningblade49, Guest, and red-jacobson. Final word count before author's note: 2,539**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

Kaitlin Elizabeth Bell prided herself on being a well-rounded individual. She got great grades, played Quidditch, had many friends, and considered herself…not exactly pretty, but definitely not ugly. She managed to juggle a lot of things, and she was fine with that because she liked being busy. One thing she could not handle was a hysterical Harry Potter.

"Wait a second," Katie said, interrupting his pacing. "You mean that You-Know-Who is inside a diary, Ginny Weasley's diary, that you stole from her to protect her, and she stole it back because she doesn't realize how dangerous it really is?"

Exactly," Harry nodded frantically. "And it's all Lucius Malfoy's fault."

Harry and his friends had commanded a corner table in the library. It wasn't the ideal location to hold a top-secret meeting, but it was incredibly early, so the only other person there was Madam Pince. Plus, this was the only semi-private place big enough for their large group.

"And you didn't think to tell us this before because?" Ron asked angrily. His skin had paled dramatically, making his freckles stand out in contrast.

"I was going to tell you all today, I swear. And I tried to get Ginny to give it up first, but she's convinced that the diary is her friend." Harry kept pacing.

"You said his name is Tom Riddle, right?" Percy double checked.

Harry nodded.

"Alright, I don't have much on him, but here's what I have so far," Percy said. "His middle name is Marvolo, he went to Hogwarts from 1937-1944, he was a Slytherin, he earned 12 O.W.L.s and the only elective he didn't take was Muggle Studies, he became Head Boy his last year, worked as a salesman for Borgin and Burkes, and disappeared off the face of the planet," Percy rattled off.

"Isn't Borgin and Burkes a shop in Knockturn Alley?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah. Dad's been trying to get a search warrant for that place for years, but they won't give it to him."

"Pretty shady place," Angelina commented.

"Sounds like Riddle was a pretty shady guy," Harry observed darkly.

"How did you know all that stuff?" Alicia asked Percy.

"_Prefects in Power_," he replied, pushing up his glasses. "It's a book I read over the summer."

"You would read something like that," Oliver teased.

"Something like what?" Neville questioned suddenly.

Everyone jumped.

"Oh, just talking about books," Katie said nervously. "It's a, uh, study group!"

"Oh, can I join? I don't want to do badly on exams," Neville pulled out a chair.

"Go away Neville!" Ron snapped.

"Ronald! Don't be rude," Hermione scolded him.

"I'm not, he's the one who invited himself to sit with us-"

"Do you want me to leave?" Neville interjected.

"No!" Hermione said firmly.

"Yes!" Ron shouted.

"If you can't be quiet in here, then just leave!" Madam Pince whisper-yelled.

And thus the library was no longer used as a meeting place.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Ron asked.

"We split up," Oliver decided. "Katie, Hermione, and Percy can try to go research more on Tom Riddle and how he can get in a diary in the first place. The twins, Lee, Alicia, and Angelina can go try to distract Ginny so that she doesn't have a chance to write in the diary. Harry, Ron, and I will ask around to try to find a way to get rid of it. Does that sound good to you guys?"

"What about me?" Neville piped up.

"You're still here?" Ron said incredulously.

Everyone looked to Oliver to see his reaction, but he seemed locked in a three-way staring contest with the twins. Finally, one of them (Katie couldn't tell which) nodded.

"He can come with us," The twin grumbled.

* * *

"Hey Ginny, come here," Alicia called in the common room. Ginny was about to head back upstairs after eating breakfast. They were hoping to keep her occupied until after lunch, at which point they _hoped _that someone would have a solution.

The red-headed girl approached the group sitting by the fire warily. Upon closer inspection, Alicia could see the deep bags under the girl's eyes. _What happened there?_

"Want to take this quiz I found in Witch Weekly?"

Ginny hesitated, then sat down. "Sure. Why not?"

Throughout the quiz, Alicia would try to keep her talking, commenting on everything from Quidditch to being the only girl in a family of boys. She did everything she could, and when the quiz was done for both of them, she went over the entire magazine with the girl.

Finally, when it would've looked suspicious to keep going, she stood up and stretched.

"I think I'm going to take a walk," she said casually.

Angelina swooped in before Ginny got up.

"Your brothers are _soooo_ irritating," she moaned, collapsing onto a chair.

"Tell me about it," Ginny muttered.

"Seriously, the only redeeming quality the two of them even have is that they're decent Quidditch players," Angelina carried on. "Do you play?"

"Yeah, actually. Chaser," Ginny replied, taken aback. Not one, but _two_ older girls were having a conversation with her in one day?

"What's your favorite team?"

"Holyhead Harpies," Ginny said immediately.

"Me too! Can you believe how badly they beat the Tutshill Tornadoes last week?" Angelina exclaimed.

"Wasn't it amazing?" Ginny gushed.

The two girls chatted for over an hour, first about Quidditch and later about everything else.

"How was your first night at Hogwarts?" Angelina asked.

"Not so great," Ginny said sullenly. "I lost my diary just before we left."

"You can always get a new one," Angelina suggested.

Ginny shrugged and stayed quiet.

"You can get one that looks exactly like the last one, same cover and everything."

"It won't be the same," Ginny snapped stubbornly.

"Why not?" Angelina pressed.

"It just won't," Ginny huffed and got up to leave.

"Sister dear," Fred said slyly as he and George sidled up to Ginny.

"We happened to notice you-"

"-getting a bit snide with Angelina-"

"-and we'd appreciate it if you stopped."

"Why should I?" Ginny challenged.

"So I can get her to go with me to Hogsmeade, of course," George said.

"Wait, I thought _I_ was asking Angelina out," Fred said, puzzled.

"No, you're you today, remember?"

"Really, because I thought today was the day for me to be you?"

"As fascinating as this is…" Ginny trailed off as she tried to wriggle away. Two arms, belonging to two different bodies grabbed her before she reached the stairs.

"Rule number one, ickle Gin-Gin," Fred taunted.

"Never let the enemy know what to expect," George said sagely.

Suddenly the two halves became a whole, speaking as one.

"Let's go plop you down next to Neville. He's a decent enough bloke, though he does tend to sweat a lot when he gets nervous. Anyway, don't run off now, because we'll know if you do." They said, dragging her towards a slightly chubby boy in a cardigan reading a Herbology book.

"Take care of our sister for us, will you?" They barked at him.

"Uh, sure," Neville gulped.

"You're Ginny, right? I'm-"

"Neville, I know. My brothers told me," Ginny said shortly.

The boy, despite being a year older and probably loads smarter than her, quaked in her presence. Every time she moved, he flinched. If she looked his way, he stared at his shoes. She sighed and he scooted away.

"I'm sorry," she told him, not unkindly. "I've just not been having a good couple days."

He nodded slowly, eyeing her.

"Do you like plants?" Ginny asked awkwardly. She cursed herself. _Is that really the best you could come_ _up with?_

Neville didn't seem to mind. "Yeah. They're the only things that get in my head and actually stick. You've probably heard what they say about me," Neville said, embarrassed.

"Not really," Ginny lied.

"Right," Neville scoffed. "I hear everything they say about me. I'm nervous and blubbering and a stupid fool. I'd forget my own name if I could. I shouldn't have been allowed to come to Hogwarts because I'm practically a squib. Maybe they're right," Neville said sadly, staring at his shoes.

"I know what you mean. Everyone thinks I can't understand, because I'm a girl, or because I'm so young. They don't trust me with secrets, and I'm always so," she struggled to find the right word. "…Alone."

"I think you're okay," Neville said shyly.

"I think you're okay too," And then she smiled, a real, true smile that lit up the whole room.

* * *

"Found anything yet?" Percy asked, exhausted. He, Katie, and Hermione had to beg Madam Pince to let them back in the library. They'd been looking for anything on Tom Riddle for over three hours. Percy had even managed to get a pass for the Restricted Section, but that too, had seemingly turned up nothing.

"Well, Marvolo is the name of one of the last Gaunts, supposedly descendants of Slytherin himself," Katie said. "The line died out with Merope Riddle nee Gaunt and Morfin Gaunt. Merope died giving birth to Tom, and Morfin died in Azkaban."

"What was he convicted of?" Hermione asked.

"It doesn't say."

"That means the Ministry doesn't want us to know," Percy murmured. "What about you, Hermione? Got anything?"

"Sort of. There isn't a name given to it. Supposedly, there's a way you can split your soul and embed part of it in an object. It's basically a way to live forever. The book refuses to say the name, it doesn't really go into detail on how to create one, it just says that a murder is needed. Which is nothing new of course, we all know You-Know-Who murdered countless people. It says that you shouldn't try to destroy the object yourself, that you should go to the proper authorities," Hermione paused.

"But that's not all. The book says that if the soul in the object stays in contact with one person for a long period of time, then the soul can take over that person's body. Percy, Tom Riddle could possess Ginny."

Katie paled and gasped.

Percy froze, seemingly lost in some kind of horrible nightmare.

"Percy, what do we do?" Katie cried.

"The only thing we can do. Tell Dumbledore and then run like hell to get to Ginny," Percy said tightly, already half way out the door.

"Pumpkin Pasties," he barked at two gargoyles. The gargoyles snorted, tossed their heads, and moved aside to reveal a gorgeous spiral staircase. Percy took the steps two at a time, and the girls struggled to keep up. The three quickly reached a door, which Percy knocked impatiently on.

"Come in!" A muffled voice called.

Percy hastily swung the door open and sat in one of the chairs across from Dumbledore's desk. Hermione and Katie both took a bit more time to look around. Silver and gold instruments, most with colorful buttons or levers, sat upon shelves that lined the walls. Thousands of dusty old books and tomes lay scattered about. Models of the solar system, lunar calendars, and complex astronomy drawings were clustered together on a table.

But best of all was a fiery red bird, sitting majestically on a perch. Katie walked towards it, almost entranced by its beauty.

"I see Fawkes is interested in you three," Dumbledore said pensively.

"Professor Dumbledore-" Percy began.

"Mr. Weasley, do not rush. I know that now everything seems urgent, but when you are as old as I am, you realize that you have all the time in the world." Dumbledore held up his hand.

Percy's knuckles turned white from gripping the armrests of the chair so tightly.

"Fawkes is a wonderful bird. All phoenixes are, really. Fawkes is fast approaching his burning day. He will burst into flames and be reborn. It's one of the things I like best about phoenixes. Their ability to re-start their whole life. Did you know that phoenix tears can heal any wound?" Dumbledore got up from his desk and calmly stroked Fawkes.

"But sir, my-" Percy started again.

"You know, Mr. Weasley, of the saying that certain things are better left unsaid? This is one of those things."

"Sir, my sister is in danger of being-"

"Ask yourself this, young Percival," Dumbledore interjected. "Is it at all possible that you are able to solve this on your own? If there is even a sliver of a chance that you and your friends could, then I encourage you to go for it."

"But Headmaster, the book said-"

"That is the sad thing about books, Miss Granger. They only provide solutions for the easy problems, never for the hard ones. Now, I hope you children have a good day."

And with that, Dumbledore swept into a room within his office, and three Gryffindors were left to gape soundlessly at him.

* * *

Oliver, Harry, and Ron weren't having much luck. The thing had a piece of You-Know-Who in it, it wasn't going to be easy to kill it. So far, they had only come up with two options. Option A: Throw the diary into the Forbidden Forest. Option B: Put the diary in one of Snape's boiling cauldrons. Both plans had flaws. For instance, what if the centaurs found the diary? What if werewolves didn't like eating paper? What if Snape saw them with the diary? What if something in You-Know-Who reacted with a potions' ingredient and the whole school blew up?

Ron was about to suggest that they just give up for now and eat lunch when a dreamy looking blonde girl wandered past them.

"Oh no," he muttered. "Run!"

"Hello Ronald," The girl said serenely.

"Er, hi."

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Guys, this is Luna Lovegood. Luna, this is Harry Potter and Oliver Wood."

"Hello. I live right by Ronald. I'm friends with Ginny. That's how we know each other. Are you looking for something?" She asked quizzically.

"Um, yeah," Oliver replied. "But you wouldn't have seen it anyway, so never mind," he added.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Ginny's diary, would it?" Luna asked.

"How do you know about that?" Ron said accusingly.

"She mentioned it on the train. She said she'd lost it. I wanted to get it back for her, because we're friends, but then I saw all the bad energy around it," she explained.

"So you have it?" Harry asked desperately.

"Well, really more like _had_. I didn't want anyone being attacked by Nargles, and the book was was practically infested with them. So I threw it in the lake," she said matter-of-factly.

"You WHAT?!"


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I love, love, love, LOVE you guys. I felt as though you guys needed to hear that. The reason this chapter took longer than the others is because you all gave me some serious reasons to think about where I want this story to go. I really had to consider it. So, one viewing of X-Men: Wolverine, a Twilight Zone marathon, a cleaning binge, fifteen listenings of the Hello, Dolly! Soundtrack, and countless Christmas sweets later, I've realized something. This story is meant to be about Harry, the Gryffindors, and house unity. No more, no less. Yet, I was trying to make it something it wasn't. Thanks to all of you who let me know you weren't happy. Thanks to my 344 followers and 188 favorites. Special thanks to Cateagle, Kairan1979, NATWEST, The Sea's Wings, Danvighar, red-jacobson, Vixen Uchiha, Majerus, Wonderbee31, NERC, mwinter1, southern-reader, Kine X, wolfish-willow, NameHasBeenTaken, Spring Raine, SomeGuyFawkes, MariusDarkwolf, phoebe turner, A Lady of Time, Books are air, kentrek1, JannaKalderash, TwilightEcpls, Kazztar, alucard964, serialkeller, serentityselena, Lightningblade49, and slicerness for reviewing. Final word count before gigantic author's note: 2,653**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

"Why won't you let me go upstairs?" Ginny demanded.

"It's just, um, don't you wanna hang out with us?" Alicia asked.

"I've been talking to you for hours," she complained. "What's so important that I stay here?"

"A, uh, surprise party?" Neville attempted.

"You all better tell me right now why I can't even use the loo without supervision," she said, slowly raising her voice.

"Alright, alright," Lee surrendered. "Your diary is totally evil!"

"What?" Ginny frowned.

"Lee!" Alicia hissed.

"You-Know-Who is in your diary. Repeat: You-Know-Who is in your diary. You must stay away for the sake of your safety," Lee whispered urgently.

"Lee! Shut up!" Angelina ordered.

"Are you kidding me?" Ginny exclaimed.

"Well, not exactly…" The twins said.

"Look, you can stop with that silly game you're playing. I don't even have my diary."

"Wait, you were telling the truth?" Angelina asked.

"Of course I was. I thought for a while that Harry might have it, but when I tried to look, someone had already beaten me to it," she shrugged. "Don't know why the diary's so important. Unless…"

Percy, Hermione, and Katie burst through the portrait hole.

"Ginny!" Her brother gasped, panting. "Don't…go up…the stairs!"

"Oh not you too," she snapped. "I don't have the diary anymore! Did Harry put you up to this?"

"Why…do you think…Harry did this?" Katie still couldn't catch her breath.

"He seems to think that Lucius Malfoy is the one who put the diary in my cauldron. Honestly, I can't believe I _ever_ thought that was heroic. It's just a bother." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"You don't have it?" Percy struggled to grasp this concept.

"No! I already told you that," she huffed. "Now can I go?" Without waiting for an answer, she turned and dashed up the stairs so fast that no one could stop her.

"If Ginny doesn't have the diary, then who does?" Hermione asked.

* * *

"How did you even get in?" Oliver asked incredulously.

"It was rather simple. Marie just wanted someone to talk to, that's all," Luna smiled.

"Who the bloody hell is Marie?" Ron exploded.

"I believe you call her The Fat Lady. Personally, I think that's a bit rude. She's lonely, y'know. Anyway, after we had a very nice conversation, I told her that I needed to help a friend. She was reluctant at first, but she wanted to see the school more united, so she let me through."

"After that, I just got into your dorm room. At first I had trouble locating it, but once I concentrated on the energy, I found it. Although I did have the small problem with getting the diary out from under the mattress," Luna smiled calmly and glanced out towards the Black Lake.

"Really Harry? Underneath the mattress?" Oliver tsked.

"I wasn't really thinking," he muttered, blushing.

"How did you get in the dorms?" Ron asked.

"It's an enchantment on the staircases," Oliver explained. "Boys can't go into girls' dorms, but girls can go into boys' dorms. I think it was created because girls were considered more trust-worthy."

"Who would trust Hermione more than me?" Ron snorted.

"A smart person," Oliver told him seriously.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about Voldemort anymore," Harry said happily.

"The Giant Squid is having a bit of a rough time digesting its food," Luna commented.

"What?" Oliver peered over her shoulder. All of the blood drained out of his face. "Oh no…"

* * *

"What is that?" Katie said disgustedly.

"_That_ is the diary. Looney Lovegood stole it for Ginny, found out it was evil, threw it into the lake, the Giant Squid tried to eat it, threw it back up, and we brought it back for you. Isn't it great?" Ron remarked sarcastically.

"You mean I brought it back for you. I was the one that had to touch it when it was covered in Giant Squid spit," Oliver corrected.

The diary was completely soaked through with water and a little something else, and was covered in tiny bits of green.

"What are the green thingies?" Alicia wrinkled her nose.

"I think they're seaweed or algae, but I'm not completely sure," Oliver scratched his head.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"He split from us halfway here. McGonagall said that Dumbledore wanted to talk him. We decided Harry would tell him what's going on and clear everything up," Oliver said.

"That's not going to work," Percy informed them. "We just came from his office to tell him everything, and he brushed us off."

"Dumbledore?" Ron asked in shock.

"No Ron. The other tall, ancient wizard in the Headmaster's office. Of course, Dumbledore."

"Maybe he was busy?" Angelina suggested.

"Doing what?" Percy challenged.

"Where is it?" Dumbledore shouted from the portrait hole. Harry stood next to him, looking ridiculously small in comparison. The Headmaster stalked towards their group. Everyone unconsciously bunched together to surround the diary.

Dumbledore picked up the small, black book and examined it quickly, his face becoming somber.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Harry," Dumbledore said gravely. "I'll resolve this matter immediately."

"Wait just a minute," Percy began tightly. "In case you've forgotten, I approached you earlier today with this exact same concern, and you swatted me away like a fly! How did you go from telling us to figure it out on our own to swooping in to save the day? It makes no sense!" He screamed.

"Mr. Weasley, you're older and wiser-"

"I'm sixteen and you expect me to go up against a dark lord? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! Maybe the rumors are true. Maybe last year was an elaborate scheme-"

Dumbledore's eyes turned cold. "Mr. Weasley-"

"You know what? I'm done. You can expect my resignation as prefect by tomorrow." And with that, Perfect no-longer Prefect Percy marched up to his dorm

* * *

"Are you insane?" Oliver shouted. Their Hogwarts class was incredibly small, and Oliver and Percy were the only male Gryffindors of that year. The room was clearly divided between the two. One side was kept perfectly neat and organized, while the other side had clothes strewn all over the floor with Quidditch posters tacked up everywhere.

"Leave me alone," Percy murmured as he scribbled on a spare piece of parchment.

"No! You've wanted to be a prefect for ages. Prefect, then Head Boy, then Ministry job, then Head of a department, and then a big finish as Minister for Magic. You had it all planned out. I did too. First I was gonna make it on the House team, then captain, then training camp, then second-string for Puddlemere United, and then I'd actually be on the team for them, and finally I'd be picked for England's World Cup team. I don't really have time for prefect in there," Oliver joked meekly.

Percy didn't respond.

"C'mon Percy. Don't you think you're being a bit rash?" Oliver regretted saying it instantly.

"Rash? Rash? Oliver, Ginny could've died! He didn't even do anything. The only person he listened to was Harry, like he's doing it to look good in front of The-Boy-Who-Lived. I can't just blindly follow a man like that," Percy shook his head.

"Maybe he just made a mistake?" Oliver offered.

"A mistake that could've cost my sister her life. A mistake he refused to own up to. Ginny may not know what kind of danger she was in, but I do."

Oliver continued to try to talk to Percy, but it was no use. The ginger's mind was made up.

* * *

The next day, when Professor Minerva McGonagall had a free hour, she made her way to the Headmaster's office. In her hand she carried a letter, but in her head, a large number of complaints clamored to be heard. She ascended the stairs and didn't bother knocking; she knew the old man had charms that told him exactly who was coming.

"Minerva, what a surprise," Albus said warmly. He sat at his desk, hands folded atop a massive stack of papers. Severus Snape sat in the chair opposite Dumbledore, a sneer on his face. Minerva didn't let the sour man deter her. She marched right up to the bearded wizard and slapped the letter down on his desk.

"What is this?" he asked, befuddled.

"That is exactly what I said when Percy Weasley presented it to me directly before Transfiguration this morning. You know what he told me?" Minerva didn't wait for an answer. "My resignation as prefect, he said. Percy Weasley! So then, after class, I offered the position to Oliver Wood, as he's the only other one eligible. But then, he tells me he doesn't want it, because then he would have to deal with you. Yes, you, Albus Dumbledore!" She raged.

"As if that wasn't strange enough, my fourth year class came in, and they wouldn't stop chattering. At first, I didn't bother with it, because Merlin knows that nothing good comes from interrogating the Weasley twins. But eventually, it got to the point where I could no longer teach. I caught Lee Jordan with a piece of parchment. They were betting on how much longer you would last as Headmaster!" She screeched.

"At the top of the wagers was the option of 'Until he dies, because the Wizarding World trusts him too much to fire him like they should.' Nearly all of the class, Gryffindor and Slytherin, voted for that. Later, at lunch, the Head Boy informed me that there is a notice up on the board in the Common Room about all the questionable decisions you've made. He wanted to know if it was true, and I had to tell him that I didn't know!" Minerva finished her rant.

"Finally realized that your foolish little Gryffindors aren't quite as innocent as you thought?" Snape asked sneakily.

"It's not as though you-"

"They've always been that way," he snarled, cutting her off. "I tried to tell you, I tried to tell you years ago, that they were the worst kind of monsters out there. But did _any_ of you listen to me? No! And now look what's happened. You don't even know what to do with them. It's like you think their antics are funny, like you always did. Letting those four muck about-"

"Severus, it's been fifteen years since you graduated. Why can't you let it go?" She said tiredly. "Let _her_ go?"

His eyes flashed. "Never," he promised, and left.

"I hope you're happy," Albus sighed. "You may have broken him."

"Broken him?" Minerva sputtered. "You might have an uprising on your hands, and all you can think about is Severus Snape? It might not be just my house, Albus, it could spread. The Slytherins already hate you, add the Gryffindor fiasco and some Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw support and you won't be here much longer. I am a prefect short and I have an out of control house," she snapped.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Dumbledore massaged his temples.

"I want you to fix it!" She left him alone, drowning in his thoughts.

Dumbledore's idea of fixing it was to call a staff meeting after dinner that night.

* * *

Sometimes Pomona Sprout really regretted becoming a teacher. She easily could've worked at a greenhouse, surrounded by all kinds of plants, happily going about her day. But instead, she had mistakenly agreed to be Herbology professor and Hufflepuff Head of House at Hogwarts. Oh, she knew she could quit now, but frankly, she was getting old. She could hardly leave her post now, not when she had been there for almost 60 years!

Still, she thought, days like this made her seriously reconsider.

"I knew something like this would happen!" Sybil Trelawney declared. "I saw it many moons ago."

Minerva scoffed. "Oh really, Sybil?" She asked skeptically. "You knew that Gryffindor House would rebel against Albus?"

Trelawney ignored her.

"And now, I'm down a prefect, because neither Wood nor Weasley wants to take the position," Minerva carried on.

"Perhaps those fools have finally realized that the badge will be given to anyone, even terrible beasts," Severus sneered.

"Excuse me!" Minerva gasped, appalled. "But Remus Lupin was a good man-"

"Oh yes, yes!" Snape shouted, a bit of madness entering his eyes. "Him, Potter, and Pettigrew were just so great! Let's not even acknowledge the little _Black_ spot on Gryffindor's perfect, gleaming record-"

"James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin were better men than you'll ever be," Minerva yelled heatedly.

"Alright, that's enough," Dumbledore called. Pomona noted that he had never looked older. Was it really that serious? Or was there something else?

"Albus, let us get straight to the root of the problem," Filius Flitwick squeaked. "The Gryffindors no longer trust you. But the real question is, why?"

"I'm afraid that I truly have no idea," Dumbledore said calmly.

_He's lying, _Pomona thought suddenly_. He won't look at any of us, he seems more subdued. There is a reason, one he doesn't want us to know._

"Sorry I'm late," Gilderoy Lockhart burst through the door, smiling at them all.

_That man_, Pomona rolled her eyes. _You'd think he didn't understand the meaning of urgent._

"Glad you could join us Gilderoy. Please, take a seat," Dumbledore offered genially.

Lockhart foolishly took the chair between the still feuding Minerva and Severus, neither of whom looked happy about the current arrangement.

"So, what do we do?" Aurora Sinistra asked worriedly.

"I'm not sure yet," Dumbledore answered, slowly stroking his beard. "But I am confident that as long as this mess remains contained to Gryffindor, it should blow over."

Minerva and Severus were both outraged.

"In case you hadn't noticed, Dumbledore-"

"I've already told you, Albus-"

"-my house hasn't-"

"-the whole of Slytherin dislikes-"

"-no one really cares about-"

"-it's like everything I say-"

"-seem to think we're being moody-"

"-no wonder I was the one chosen-"

"-it's almost like-"

"-it's as if-"

"-you never listen to me!" The two finished together in a manner eerily reminiscent of the Weasley twins.

But the truly terrifying thing was Albus's reaction. He didn't move at all, and simply stared off into the distance.

"Albus?" Poppy Pomphrey asked uncertainly.

"Oh, yes," He said, suddenly breaking out of the trance. "I thank you for for your time, professors. You are dismissed."

"But sir, we haven't come up with any sort of plan," Filius protested.

"Yes, yes, but I am confident that I shall be able to come up with something," he said, waving them off.

Slowly, everyone rose and filtered out of the staff room. The last to leave was Professor Pomona Sprout, who cast a concerned glance over her shoulder and shut the door.

* * *

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore sighed and rested his head in his hands. How had it all gone so woefully wrong? He hadn't meant for it to turn out this way, any of it. He had tried so hard. He only wanted what was best for them, to achieve the Greater Good. He didn't want to see anyone hurt or killed.

Lily and James Potter, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Peter Pettigrew, Marlene McKinnon, Benjy Fenwick…the list just went on and on. He had cried so many times during the war. He had been so relieved when it was all over, when no one else would suffer because of his own mistakes.

But then that Weasley boy had told him what was going on, and he hadn't wanted to believe it. So he had stupidly sent the poor boy away, as if that would prevent Tom Riddle from coming back. But when he was forced to think about his actions, he realized his error. So he called for Harry Potter. But he should have called for Percy Weasley. He didn't and that created a long list of horrible events that would seemingly never end. Albus could only hope his students were prepared for what was coming.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: So, this chapter is mostly filler, and it's short too. I know, I know, I go a day without an update and I don't even have the decency to write a long chapter? I'm afraid that I'm going to be going longer between updates, but the updates themselves will be longer. Now, I have a few questions for you. First, how do you feel about the Snape in my story? Do you think he's too mean, too nice, or perfect just the way he is? Some other have been mentioning that they wish to see an adult figure that the kids can count on. Who do you want to see? Also, it has to be kind of believable. How would they know to go to Madam Bones if they don't even talk to Susan? Thirdly, though this isn't really a question, start thinking about (and telling me) what pairing you want. I'm planning on a Percy/Penelope Clearwater, but pretty much anything else is up for grabs. Thanks to all my readers. Thanks to my 222 favorites and 405 followers. Special thanks to reviewers A Lady of Time, phoebe turner, akasanta, nokeyunderscore, Kairan1979, The Sea's Wing's, sparky0sw, serenityselena, NATWEST, Siriusly Grim, SomeGuyFawkes, Majerus, LoonyLouisStein, red-jacobson, ladysavay, mwinter1, Cateagle, Katzztar, kentrek1, serialkeller, slicerness, Lightningblade49, wolfish-willow, femalefarrier, Loves to read books, Wonderbee31, MariusDarkwolf, and JannaKalderash. Final word count before monstrous author's not: 2,420**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

Lee Jordan was used to falling a bit behind. He had been friends with Fred and George since all three met on the train first year. Lee had never actually believed most of the things he heard about twins until he met Fred and George. The two always had the same idea at the exact same time. They always knew what the other was thinking, and _almost_ always forgot that Lee didn't have the same mind connection. The twins would babble on about their idea, bantering back and forth, and finally turn to Lee for his opinion, only to find that he had no clue what they were on about.

Yes, Lee Jordan fell behind quite often, but never during Quidditch. He was quite happily commentating on a fake game during Gryffindor practice. Colin Creevey, Ron, and Hermione sat in the stands opposite him. Percy would've come too, but McGonagall had asked him to stay in her office for a moment. Next to Lee sat Neville and Ginny. The ginger girl hadn't really wanted to come, because it meant seeing Harry Potter, but Neville had coaxed her out of the Common Room.

Lee was having a good time, glancing around the pitch in order to hopefully catch a flicker of gold, when instead he found a gaggle of green.

"What the…" he murmured, forgetting that he was speaking into the mic. "Can the Gryffindor team take a brief time out?"

The players flew down next to Lee, Oliver wearing a deep frown.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, irritated.

Lee purposefully shut off the mic and replied, "There are snakes in the lion's den. Repeat: There are snakes in the lion's den."

"Lee, you do know that no one understands any of your secret codes, right?" Angelina said exasperatedly.

"Fine," he huffed. "The Slytherin team is on the pitch right now."

"What?" Oliver thundered. The team zoomed around and landed next to the Slytherins.

"Flint, what are you doing here?" Oliver demanded.

"We're going to use the pitch, of course," Flint said smoothly.

"That's impossible, I booked the pitch," Oliver was beginning to turn red.

"Really? That's too bad. See, we have a signed note from Professor Snape," he sneered, handing over a piece of parchment.

"'I give my permission for the Slytherin Quidditch team to use the pitch today in order to train their new seeker.' Who's your new seeker?"

A pale boy with a pointed chin, platinum blonde hair, and a smirk stepped forward. "I am."

"Malfoy," Harry growled.

"Potter," the boy spat.

Lee had heard loads of things about Draco Malfoy, and not one of them was good. He was a rotten, spoiled, little boy whose one goal in life seemed to be to make everyone else's lives absolutely miserable.

"Like the new brooms, Wood?" Flint boasted.

"No," Oliver muttered, jaw clenched. Gleaming, pristine handles and carefully groomed twigs were promptly thrust into Oliver's face. He tried not to crack.

"Way faster than the Nimbus 2000," One taunted.

"I heard that international teams are going to be switching to these," Another claimed.

"I guess you Gryffindors will never get your precious Cup now," Flint sneered.

That seemed to be the final straw for Oliver, and he moved to-

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent." The voice of Hermione Granger broke through Oliver's haze, and he seemed to force himself to relax. All of the Gryffindors smiled at her comment.

"Filthy little Mudblood," Malfoy snarled.

"Yeah, dunno why she's even here," Flint agreed.

If Lee had thought Oliver angry before, it was nothing compared to watching one Quidditch captain charge towards the other, fists first.

* * *

"What were you thinking?" Katie shrieked.

"That I was gonna kill Flint," Oliver groaned.

"I can't believe you thought you could've taken him on," she continued.

"I could've," he argued. "It was the other two guys that took me down."

"It probably didn't help that you called his mum a troll," Lee snickered.

"Oliver!" Katie scolded.

"Katie, you haven't seen his mum yet. She's got to have at least a little bit of troll blood in her," Oliver said.

"We thought it was wicked," the twins claimed. "Almost as cool as the time Dad fought Malfoy."

"Now _that_ was great," Percy declared as he walked into the Hospital Wing. "Although I'm surprised you're doing stuff like that now you're a prefect."

"What?" Oliver asked, confused. "I'm not a prefect, you know that."

"Ah, so she hasn't gotten to you yet-"

The Hospital Wing doors swung open again, only this time it was Professor McGonagall who strode in.

"Mr. Wood, if we could have a quick moment alone," she suggested, glancing at the large group assembled by his bedside. Hermione moved to get up, but Oliver flung his arm out. She sat back down. He turned to McGonagall.

"Anything you want to say to me can be said in front of them."

"I see." She gave them all a smile. "Now, Mr. Wood, I'm afraid Mr. Weasley has again declined to take up his original position as prefect. I was hoping that-"

"My answer stays the same," He interrupted her.

Her smile dimmed. "I see," she repeated. "And I suppose there is no way for me to convince either of you otherwise?"

Percy and Oliver shook their head.

"You do realize this means that we will be short one prefect, that Gryffindor house will not be equally represented among the other three houses?"

Both boys refused to give in.

"Very well," she sighed. "And for the record, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Wood, I do not blame you." And then she swept out of the Hospital Wing, head down.

"Whoa," Ron muttered. And that summed up all of their thoughts quite nicely.

* * *

The next day, when Oliver was released from the Hospital Wing, he seemed a bit upset. The twins who had been sent to escort him back to the Common Room, decided to cheer him up.

"We heard McGonagall rip into Snape about the pitch," one whispered.

"She said she didn't care what he said about their seeker," the other murmured.

"Don't worry Ollie. We'll beat them, even with their stupid new brooms," they chimed.

"Yeah, stupid," Oliver echoed.

The twins exchanged knowing looks.

"You liked the new brooms, didn't you?"

"No!" Oliver denied quickly. "More like…loved them because they're so fast and sleek and shiny."

"Oh Ollie," The two sighed.

"We're gonna die, boys. We're gonna die. There's no way we'll win now!" He moaned.

* * *

Katie would be lying if she said she liked all of her classes. She used History of Magic as a rather convenient naptime, as she had it just after lunch. That class was just boring, but Potions made her sweat profusely and wonder if vomit negatively impacted potions. Like most students, Katie had been looking forward to Potions until she met Professor Snape.

"Bell, quit gazing off into space and do some real work."

"Bell, I see your Gryffindor tendencies have led you to subpar potions skills."

"Bell! Stop chit-chatting and read the instructions on the board."

She had cried in her room after the first lesson and vowed to be the best Potions student he'd ever seen. She'd memorized the text book, something she'd never done before. She spent all of her time in the library, reading dusty old books on brewing. She'd even begged some older students for secret tips on certain potions.

But finally, just before Christmas holidays, she'd realized something. No matter what she did, it would never be enough. Snape wanted to hate her; he wanted to see her crack under pressure. _Well_, she decided, _I won't give him the satisfaction. Not now, not ever_.

Today though, was definitely trying her patience. He seemed in a particularly bad mood, shouting at them and then going suspiciously quiet and moody. Frankly it was starting to scare her. Snape had always been rude and sarcastic, but never had Katie witnessed this level of…well, she didn't know what to call it. He just seemed so _unhinged_.

"Bell!" He barked.

She jumped and knocked over a nearby cauldron, letting out a muffled scream.

"I'm so sorry-" she apologized

"What were you-" he snarled.

"I didn't mean to, I just, I. You startled me, so I, I mean. At least nothing was in it right? I promise I'll be more careful-"

"Silence!" He roared.

Katie clamped her mouth shut.

"What is wrong with you today? Is the pressure of going up against an undefeatable team getting to you?" He smirked. "Or maybe you just realized that no matter what you do, you won't ever be good enough? That you'll always be some stupid, pathetic girl that can't accomplish anything?" He smiled cruelly and turned away.

Tears welled up in her eyes. How could he know that? She had stood tall and looked him right in the eye, hiding all her insecurities. The other Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs gave her pitying looks. Their stares stung almost as much as the remarks themselves. Her skin burned with shame. She couldn't focus, couldn't even see with the tears blurring her vision.

"I-I have to go," she gasped to Leanne, her potions partner, and she packed up her stuff hurriedly. Hot tears began making tracks on her face. _No, no, not now!_

People started whispering, the noise bouncing around her head. It was too much. Then she ran, barely registering his yell.

"20 points from Gryffindor for walking out of class, and another 10 for running in the halls!"

* * *

Oliver Wood wasn't really all that interested in Charms, but then again, he wasn't really all that interested in much besides Quidditch and friends. Why bother with classes when he had his career already planned, right? Unfortunately, his mother didn't see things the same way, so he was still here.

"Hey Wood!" A Slytherin whispered from behind him. He gritted his teeth.

"Psst! Wood!" Another boy hissed. Oliver made a hole in the parchment he was taking notes on from pressing down too hard with his quill.

"Probably too scared," the first taunted.

"What?" Oliver snapped.

Flitwick stopped teaching for a moment to peer at them. "Mr. Bole, Mr. Derrick, I do wish you would stop muttering in the middle of the lesson. And Mr. Wood, I expected better of a prefect."

"I'm not a prefect," Oliver exclaimed.

"Oh?" Flitwick's miniscule eyebrows rose. "I suppose Mr. Weasley has-"

Beside Oliver, Percy mutely shook his head.

"Oh, my goodness. Then, Gryffindor is missing a prefect?"

"Even the Gryffindorks know that their house sucks," The first boy sniggered

Oliver spun around in his seat and immediately started toward the bigger one, Bole. He briefly thought of what Katie might say when she finds out, but ultimately decided that House pride is worth more than a third year's ire. He gives a small smile when he sees Percy stand up to deal with Derrick.

* * *

"Albus, let's go for a walk," McGonagall suggested to Dumbledore. Really she just wanted to ask him a few questions in a place where he couldn't retreat. She was going to get some answers, one way or another.

"Of course, Minerva," He acquiesced.

They set off in the direction of the courtyard. Several times Minerva moved to say something, but he appeared lost in thought. They passed room after room, but upon seeing Filius instructing some first years, Minerva could no longer hold it in.

"I'm worried about Mr. Weasley. He has never acted like this before." She waited impatiently for a reply.

"I wouldn't worry. Arthur has always had a deeper fascination with Muggles than the rest of us."

"Arthur?" She asked, surprised. "I'm talking about Percy. Albus, are you alright?"

"Oh yes, yes. I must have simply been lost in memories for a bit," he chuckled.

McGonagall wasn't so sure. She waited until they were out in the courtyard to test him. There was no one to overhear them, and besides, the fresh air might do him some good.

"Mr. Black seems to be adjusting well," She mentioned casually.

"Ah, yes. I admit, I initially had my doubts, but his friendship with James Potter seems to have helped."

Minerva swallowed. This couldn't be true. She began subtly guiding him back to his office, mind reeling. What was going on? He seemed stuck in the past. How was he possibly going to run a school like this? He couldn't, Minerva realized with a sinking heart.

"Minerva," he said, stopping suddenly just outside of his office. "Mr. Black had already graduated, has he not?"

"Several years ago," she confirmed hesitantly.

His face went pale. "I need to think," he whispered hollowly. Minerva couldn't recall ever seeing a man so broken. She had come to his office expecting answers, but now she only had more questions.

* * *

That night at dinner, Dumbledore rose to make a speech.

"Does he do this often?" Ritchie Coote, a first year, asked impatiently, eyeing the roast beef on his plate.

"Almost never," Harry whispered back.

"Students, staff, and ghosts here at Hogwarts," he began.

"And poltergeists!" Peeves intervened.

"And poltergeists," Dumbledore allowed. "I have a very important announcement to make. You will all be the first to know this. I am getting a bit old, as you all can tell," he paused.

Uneasy laughter echoed in the Great Hall.

"No need to be alarmed. I am not in any grave danger. However, I have decided that I am no longer able to keep up with all of my responsibilities. As some of you may know, I am not only Headmaster, but also Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. I realized that I have been neglecting one of my duties. So, I regret to inform you that I am resigning from the post of Headmaster of Hogwarts. I leave you in the more than capable hand of our own Professor McGonagall."

With that, he sat back down, acting completely unaware of the chaos he had just created.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: You guys are awesome! I can't believe the response this fic has gotten. Thanks to all of you who have favorited or followed ME when this is the only story I have. Thanks to the 260 favorites and 485 followers. Super special thanks to reviewers Narcissa-Weasly, Atticus Goodfellow, thunder18, deathy-cool, slicerness, femalefarrier, Kairan1979, Publicola, PurpleBullet, Cateagle, akasanta, Yana5, Majerus, phoebe turner, SomeGuyFawkes, wolfish-willow, lilmisdiva, serenityselena, Strumwulf, serialkeller, mwinter1, A Lady of Time, Katzztar, Lightningblade49, Deadzepplin, MariusDarkwolf, JannaKalderash, Wonderbee31, Kine X, and red-jacobson. I *should* have another chaper up sometime tomorrow, so cross your fingers.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

Harry was sort of thankful to Dudley right about now. _I mean, yeah he wasn't the greatest cousin out there, but he taught me how to run like my life depended on it_. It was a skill that came in handy when you had to run to your Headmaster before he left school forever. Not that Harry would likely have this opportunity again.

"Pumpkin pasties," he gasped to the gargoyles, recalling what McGonagall had said.

"Er, chocolate frogs," he guessed.

"Uh, Mars bars?" he tried again. He then just tried every candy he could think of, getting impatient.

"I need to see Dumbledore!" He shouted.

The stone gargoyles moved slowly apart and he squeezed past them and raced up the steps. He frantically pounded on the door.

"Enter," a voice called.

"Professor Dumbledore! You can't-" He stopped dead upon seeing all of the missing objects. "What are you doing?"

"I am packing up, my dear boy. I shall be leaving very early tomorrow morning. You will not see me at breakfast," He said simply, not looking at Harry.

"Why so soon?" Harry asked, uncomprehending.

"I feel it is best if I leave before I inflict any serious damage upon Hogwarts. She is a beautiful school, one that does not deserve everything that has happened to her. I wouldn't wish to ruin her."

"But-but, what about Tom Riddle?"

"What about him? The diary has been properly taken care of. Rest assured, he shall not be coming back for at least a little while. I will always be available by owl for Professor McGonagall to ask for advice. Listen Harry, I am not the only one capable of getting rid of Tom Riddle. You must remember, there is one thing he has never possessed, and that is love."

Harry nodded slowly, pretending to understand. The office just looked so empty. All of the strange silver instruments were gone. What were they for? How did he get them? Were they really his? Did he actually use them? And why did you need more than one lunar calendar or diagram of the solar system? There were so many questions he wanted to ask, but none of them were important.

"Will I ever see you again?"

Dumbledore peered over his half-moon glasses at Harry. "I imagine you will. However for now, I believe it is goodbye, Harry Potter."

Harry just nodded noiselessly and calmly went down the stairs. His hands shook, but his gait was steady as he left. But as he turned to move out of the hallway, he paused.

"Goodbye, Professor Dumbledore."

* * *

"How can you do this?" McGonagall was furious. Oliver wondered if there was any way he could get out of a punishment.

"The first fight I may have been able to sweep under the rug, but the second one? It occurred right in front of Professor Flitwick!"

"But they were talking about us, about Gryffindor. You always said to have more house pride," Oliver protested.

"I know boys. And I want to help you, truly, I do. But I have a duty to the whole school now, not just one house." She looked away.

"Why is Dumbledore retiring?" Percy asked.

"Did you not listen to his speech, Weasley?" McGonagall snapped.

"I did," He replied. "But I think you know something more."

"I would tread carefully now, both of you. I am not at liberty to discuss the Headmaster's private business."

"But he's not Headmaster anymore," Oliver pointed out, quickly catching on. "So why can't you tell us what it is?"

McGonagall didn't reply. Instead, she moved to the window of the empty classroom they were sitting in. "I will do my best to soften the punishment, but there is only so far I can go before it is considered favoritism. I will not be able to keep protecting you."

"But you don't have to take this job," Oliver pleaded.

"Yes I do. What choice do I have? If I don't take the position, then the Board of Governors gets to decide. Lucius Malfoy will bribe and blackmail each and every last one of them so that Severus Snape is unanimously voted Headmaster of Hogwarts!" She threw her hands in the air and paced back and forth.

"I will give you a dedicated Head of House," she promised. "But one thing I cannot do is continue to favor Gryffindor House. I'm sorry, but I'm certain you understand." She said officiously

Percy and Oliver stood to leave.

"And boys? There is still the matter of the Gryffindor prefect."

* * *

Ten minutes later and Severus Snape had never felt worse.

"Snape, I would like to speak with you," McGonagall said tightly.

He moved aside, arms crossed. "I can't _possibly_ imagine what this is about."

"Severus, I would like to settle this peacefully."

"You always say that," he muttered sardonically. "And yet, I never like you anymore."

"Be that as it may, I figured that we should try and act civil due to my new, er, _place_ in the castle." She attempted to smile at him, but it turned into a grimace.

"Like you won't have obvious favorites," he accused.

"You're one to talk!" She retorted.

He tried to interrupt. "I have not-"

"Now you listen to me, Severus Snape!" She roared.

He fell silent.

"I know everything – that's right, everything! That you've been doing. Did you think I was oblivious to the how and the why that Slytherin House won the cup so many years in a row? It certainly wasn't good behavior! You've been holding a grudge for years, and I don't know if I want to employ a man like that."

He froze and stared at her.

"You are no longer Head of House. You also have lost the authority to take points or hand out punishments until I say otherwise. You have one chance left. And when I say one, I mean _one_. You're on thin ice. I would be very careful from now on, if I were you." She rose from the chair.

He covered his face with his hands. What was he to do?

"Oh, and Severus?" He glanced up. "If I so much as see you look at Katie Bell differently, you'll be placed on an indefinite, unpaid leave of absence."

He exhaled and nodded. As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, Severus Snape dove for the Daily Prophet and began thumbing through the Classifieds.

* * *

Cormac McLaggen thought himself a pretty swell guy. He got good grades, was an excellent Quidditch player, had loads of friends, and he was devilishly handsome. What girl wouldn't want him?

Katie Bell, that's who, he answered himself sourly. He had been trying to catch the chaser's eye for a while, thinking her pretty and talented, but she hadn't so much as glanced his way. But oh well, he thought. He had a plan. In his fifth year, when Wood was finally off the team, Cormac would try out for keeper. He would get it, of course, because with Wood gone, Cormac's skills would be unmatched.

Once he was on the team, he would have a chance to get closer to Katie. He could complain about their upcoming O.W.L.s, and she would giggle and agree with him. He'd slide in a few compliments ("You're sure to do great Katie, you're so smart." "You're the best chaser on the team, Katie!") and she'd blush. He'd set up a "study" date in March, to study for O.W.L.s. She'd be impressed with his work ethic. After two or three bouts of studying, he'd ask her to Hogsmeade, she'd say yes, and then they'd live happily ever after.

He was just planning the exact wording of the date when he heard something. A whimper, maybe? He followed the sound and came across a girl huddled in a corner of the castle, and unless he was mistaken, she was crying.

Now, Cormac wasn't exactly an expert at feelings. Girls liked to talk about them; he had heard his sister and her friends whispering often enough. Wait a minute, that meant Katie would probably like to talk about them. What would he do? What would he say? He could lie, yes, but lying to Katie felt wrong. I know, he thought. I can practice talking about feelings with this girl. He wouldn't lie to her, or take advantage of her, because Katie didn't like guys who did either. He would just learn what do do, be nice, and leave.

"Hello?" He called out to the girl.

She sniffled.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked. "I-wait, Katie? What's the matter?"

"Cormac?" She gasped, hurrying to stand up. "I was just, um, thinking for a bit," she said wiping her sleeve over her eyes.

"Right. Look, is this about Snape? Because he's wrong," Cormac blurted. "I mean, everyone likes you. He's just upset because he doesn't have any friends," He joked.

Katie let out a watery giggle.

Cormac, spurred by her laugh, ploughed on. "I mean, who would like him? Probably not even the Slytherins, because they're so obsessive about their hair."

She giggled some more, starting to look more like herself.

"I hope McGonagall sacks him," Cormac spat venomously.

"Why would she do that?" Katie asked.

"That's right, you weren't at dinner," Cormac realized.

"You noticed."

"Er, yeah," He rubbed the back of his neck. "But anyway," Cormac quickly changed the subject. "Dumbledore made this huge announcement at dinner about how he's getting too old for this job, and so he's going to retire from Headmaster, and now McGonagall's in charge.

"No!" She exclaimed. "Dumbledore can't leave the school. It wouldn't be safe then."

Cormac shrugged and leaned against a wall.

"And now McGonagall's Headmistress. Who's going to be Head of Gryffindor?" Katie wondered.

"Dunno. Maybe Hooch?" Cormac suggested.

"No. Hooch was a Ravenclaw," Katie said absentmindedly.

"Oh. You'd know since you're on the Quidditch team," Cormac said, seeming downtrodden.

"Yeah, I am. Do you play?"

"Keeper," Cormac muttered.

"Oh cool. Y'know, Oliver's gonna graduate year after this. You could try out for the team?"

"I was planning to," He grinned.

"Oh wow! We could be on the team together!"

Cormac nodded goofily. His mind just omitted the part where she mentioned the team. _We could be together._

"I'll walk you back to the Common Room, then?" He offered cheerfully.

She beamed up at him and they began heading towards the portrait hole.

_Who knew that talking about feelings with Katie Bell just meant making her laugh_, he mused.

* * *

"Alright team," Oliver announced. They sat on the stands, all looking up at him with apprehension. He tried not to show his sweaty palms. "I know that the Slytherins have their new, fancy brooms, and that the future looks pretty bleak. I mean, let's face it: we're all operating on slower brooms right now. It's not a level playing field. But let's try and look at it as players, not as brooms."

"We have Harry Potter, the boy who caught a Remembrall from 200 feet in the air, versus Draco Malfoy, the boy who had to buy his way on the team. We've got Fred and George Weasley, a pair of beaters who can always predict the other, going up against two buffoons that don't even know each other's first names. There's a triple threat team of chasers, Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, and Alicia Spinnet. They could hit a target a mile away, and their opponents can't tell what color the Quaffle is when it's right in front of their faces."

"Don't forget yourself, Ollie," The twins chorused.

"You're one of the best keepers we've ever had," Katie said passionately.

"There's no way you can't get drafted right out of school," Harry said.

Oliver flushed. "Well, anyone looks good compared to Warrington. But that's not my point. The point is, Slytherin Quidditch players aren't chosen for their skill, they're chose based on how much influence they have and how intimidating they can be. But we're Gryffindors. We won't let ourselves be afraid of them."

"Great brooms don't make great players. In the great match of '79, Puddlemere United couldn't afford top of the line brooms, but they crushed the Ballycastle Bats 340-30. The Bats had just gotten brand new Nimbus 500's. And the Chudley Cannons buy brooms as soon as they come out, but they haven't won a game since '54. Y'know why? Because the equipment doesn't guarantee anything. All it does is make you feel better and the other team feel worse. But if we refuse to feel worse, and we play like we always do, we'll win. So let's go out there, do our best, and show those slimy snakes that we're a better team than they could ever hope to be."

The team cheered and began practice with an energy that Oliver had never seen. I did that, he thought with a rush of happiness. Because Oliver Wood didn't just play Quidditch. He made some pretty damn good impromptu speeches, too.

* * *

True to his word, Professor Dumbledore wasn't at breakfast that morning. Professor McGonagall had originally sat in her usual seat, but when Professor Sinistra walked into the Great Hall she nudged McGonagall. McGonagall moved into the Head seat, with Sinistra sitting to her direct right. Snape looked particularly unhappy.

All around Harry, conversations arose.

"What do you think happened?"

"Why did he leave?"

"Will we still be safe?"

"But everyone," a small Hufflepuff first year piped up. "Couldn't Harry Potter protect us?"

Harry Potter was actually a bit busy choking on his pumpkin juice as all eyes turned to him. He nervously coughed and tugged down on the hair above his scar.

Before he knew it, he was surrounded by students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, as the Slytherins looked on disdainfully.

"Harry, come on mate! We're friends, right?"

"You wouldn't leave us to die, would you?"

But just as Harry began to think that he might be flattened by the others, he got some unexpected help. One by one, the Gryffindors stood and began to huddle around Harry, forming a barrier between him and the overzealous children.

"Harry doesn't have to help you!" Seamus defended him.

"Quit pressuring him!" Angelina snapped.

"Leave him alone!" Demelza Robbins shouted.

Even people Harry didn't even know defended him. The warm feeling he had that day at the Burrow had returned, bigger and brighter than before. Harry had never been more glad to be a Gryffindor.

"If St. Potty's our savior, we'll be dead within a week," Malfoy jeered. However, the blonde boy had made the mistake of coming over without his bodyguards. Oliver left the group and loomed over Malfoy. The second year quivered.

"Harry would never protect anyone as cowardly as you," He growled. Malfoy turned to leave, but Oliver grabbed the collar of this shirt and lifted the smaller boy off the ground. "And you can tell your captain that he's gonna wanna die after the game, fancy brooms or not."

"Alright, that is enough!" McGonagall yelled over all the chatter in the Hall. "Everyone sit down!"

The students just glanced at her and resumed their conversations.

"Now!" All that could be heard were frantic footsteps.

"Much better," McGonagall said as they all settled back down. "As you are all aware, Mr. Dumbledore has resigned from his position as Headmaster and has left me as Headmistress. I have made a few changes to the staff. First off, the position of Deputy Headmistress shall be filled by Professor Sinistra. The new Head of Gryffindor House is Muggle Studies Professor Burbage. Professor Snape will no longer be Head of Slytherin House. Instead, that shall be Arithmancy Professor Vector. Until I can find a suitable replacement, I will continue to teach Transfiguration. Thank you for your cooperation. That is all."

All four houses were unhappy with these recent developments.

"Why couldn't Sprout be deputy?" Hannah Abbott complained.

"Flitwick was the obvious choice," Cho Chang snorted.

"Why can't Snape be head of house anymore?" Pansy asked.

"I dunno. Makes sense those Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers get Burbage though," Malfoy sniggered.

All of the Gryffindors were duly unimpressed with Professor Burbage. A blonde, thin, muggle-obsessed woman was just fine by them. But when that woman was too afraid to even look most of them in the eye…well, suffice to say, that wasn't really what they had wanted.

"Er, hello," Burbage said cautiously, approaching the House table with obvious fear. She received a few muttered greetings in return.

"Bet she'll love the filthy Mudbloods," a rather dumb Slytherin stage-whispered.

"What did you just say?" snarled Burbage as she spun around to fix the student with her evil eye. The Slytherin gulped. "That'll be twenty points from Slytherin, and be happy it's not more."

Did I say the Gryffindors were unhappy? They weren't, not at all. The Slytherins were no longer able to hide behind Snape, and they had a pretty awesome head of house. Life was good.

* * *

Harry still felt this way in Snape's class. It seemed that the Potions Master had been given a talking to about his favoritism, for he treated the Slytherins and the Gryffindors as though he held no feelings for either side.

"Chop those roots more finely, Davis."

"Stir it counterclockwise, Thomas."

Neville was oddly happy as he worked, finally relaxed. His potion turned the precise shad of grass green the book described, and the round-faced boy bottled it and sat proudly as Snape stopped.

The greasy-haired man picked up the vial and sniffed it, shook it, and gave it a look that could curdle milk, but nothing phased the perfect potion.

"Good job, Longbottom," He choked out, face turning a rather disturbing reddish-purple. "And wipe that stupid smirk off your face, Potter," He added angrily.

Harry tried to force his lips downward, but it didn't work. Ron kicked him under the table. Harry managed to reduce his smile to just a slight upturn of the lips.

"You did great, Neville," Harry said enthusiastically once they were out of class.

"Thanks Harry. I think it was just because I was so nervous before. I might actually do well in Potions this year. And this weekend, Gran is taking me to Diagon Alley to get a new wand," Neville grinned excitedly.

Ron frowned.

"That's great, but what are you gonna do in Astronomy? You've got Potion under control, you're amazing at Herbology, History of Magic doesn't really matter, the wand will help with practical classes…" Harry trailed off.

As Neville drooped, Ron brightened.

Harry wondered if there was any way to keep both of them happy.

* * *

Hermione loved everything about books, but she loved the ones that had authors with weird names the most. They were the best writers, ones who had gotten picked on for being strange and who had retreated to books for comfort. Years later, the strange ones would decide to leave their mark on the world, to show their old tormentors that were something to be found in books after all. Because really, where would the books be if people didn't write them?

Hermione's favorite book was, of course, Hogwarts a History. It told her all about the wonderful school where her life changed. But if there was one thing she had learned, it was that not everything was in Hogwarts A History. The book was an authorized guide; the school had chosen exactly what was put in and what was taken out. So, in order to get the whole story, Hermione had bought the unauthorized guide, and was reading it in the library

Already she had become incensed by the idea that house-elves worked for Hogwarts, and had read about the dark past of the Gray Lady and the Bloody Baron. Now she was trying to dig up something on Slytherin House. She was just about to declare the book a dead end when she saw more words. She pushed the book down to get closer and the words disappeared. Curious, she tilted the pages up to catch the light.

"_In 1943, the Chamber of Secrets was opened. It is said that Salazar Slytherin himself created the Chamber underneath school to house a monster. Supposedly, the monster was meant to purge the school of all those who he believed unworthy to possess magic."_

Hermione gasped and then smiled innocently at a passing fourth year. He glanced at her as if crazy was catching.

"_Though Slytherin's monster has never been found, it tragically killed a student, Myrtle Henderson, in a girl's bathroom. Tom Riddle, a Slytherin prefect, found out that Rubeus Hagrid, a third year Gryffindor, was the one to open the chamber and release the monster. Hagrid was promptly expelled from Hogwarts."_

"Oh my god!" she shrieked. All eyes turned to the typically rule-abiding girl. The girl in question flashed them a smile, gathered up her books, and walked as quickly as she could out the door. She began running when she turned the corner, only to hit something.

"Ow!" The other girl exclaimed.

"Sorry!" Hermione apologized quickly, aching to keep going.

"Hey, wait a minute. Aren't you Hermione Granger?" the girl asked.

"Um, yes," Hermione replied hesitantly.

"I'm Penelope Clearwater, Ravenclaw prefect. Is it true that Percy's a prefect again?" She inquired.

"I think so, yeah."

"Great! Could you maybe take this letter to him, quick as you can?"

"Uh, sure," Hermione cautiously took the parchment from Penelope.

The two girls stood awkwardly for a moment, waiting for the other.

"Well, bye!" Hermione said as she dashed off in the direction of the Gryffindor Common Room. She practically shouted the password at the Fat Lady and bounded through the portrait hole. The usual group was seated by the fireplace, all looking incredibly worried about something.

"Hermione!" The twins yelled, almost taking her to the ground.

"Where were you?" Alicia asked.

"What do you mean?"

"We were going to meet up half an hour ago," Harry explained, emerald eyes shining.

"Oh, that's right! I must have forgotten. Percy, some girl named Penelope Clearwater wanted me to give this to you," She said, handing over the note to him.

"Penelope Clearwater?" Oliver asked. "The same Penelope Clearwater that stares at you all the time and was crushed when she lost her prefect patrol buddy?"

Percy turned red.

"Listen, you guys. I have some big news. Have any of you ever heard of the Chamber of Secrets or Slytherin's monster?"

"It's supposed to be a legend," Percy frowned.

"Right, well, I ordered something over the summer for a little extra reading, but I only just got it," She said, extracting the book from her bag.

"Bloody hell," Ron whispered.

Hermione ignored him. "Here's the thing. Normally, I wouldn't really think much of it, but it mentions both Tom Riddle and Hagrid."

"Hagrid?" Angelina repeated quizzically.

"Now it says that Hagrid opened the Chamber and unleashed Slytherin's monster, and Tom Riddle is the prefect who figured it all out. But can any of you actually see _Hagrid_ doing that?"

"He told me he'd been expelled from school, but he didn't say for what," Harry mentioned.

"So you think Tom Riddle framed Hagrid?" Oliver asked skeptically. "Why would he do that?"

"Because Slytherin's monster killed a girl named Myrtle Henderson. And I'm willing to bet-"

"Moaning Myrtle," Alicia interrupted with a gasp.

"But what is Slytherin's monster?" Ron asked, frustrated.

"No one knows. Slytherin had it to get rid of everyone he thought was unworthy of attending Hogwarts, and he built the chamber to house the monster," Hermione told them.

"What are we gonna do about it?" Lee asked.

Everyone thought for a moment.

"We have to clear Hagrid's name," Neville spoke up.

Ron jumped. "Merlin, mate, you always surprise me. I never even know you're there."

"Neville's right," Harry said decisively. "Hagrid needs to be cleared. He deserves it."

"The only question is," Percy broke in. "How are we going to do that?"

* * *

Two shadowy figures carefully shut a portrait behind them. They were out past curfew, but neither one was worried. They had a few secret weapons, you see. One pulled out his wand and the other unfolded a bit of parchment.

"I solemnly-" The second one began, but the portrait they had just emerged from opened again. Quickly, the first spun around, wand at the ready as the second hid the parchment.

"Honestly, you think we don't know about your little late night escapades?" Angelina huffed.

"It's not as though you keep it quiet," Alicia added.

"Lee!" Fred and George hissed. "What ever happened to standing guard?"

"What?" He asked incredulously. "It's just them."

"It's not like we'll tell," Angelina snapped.

"That's not the point! We have secrets we'd rather no one know!"

"We're coming with," Angelina demanded.

"You can't!" The twins insisted.

"Oh really? Then where do you suggest we go?" Alicia challenged, arching one eyebrow.

"Back in the-" Fred turned.

The portrait was empty.

"Great," George grumbled.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Alright, I said I would update today, and I did. Just disregard the fact that it's really small. Sorry. The next one will be a lot longer, and it should be up Friday or Saturday. I managed to hit 500 followers, and now I have 505, so thanks to all of you. Thanks to my lovely people who favorited, all 287 of you. Extra special thanks to reviewers Narcissa-Weasly, B00kw0rm92, Kairan1979, mwinter1, serenityselena, SSGRet, poseiden'sdaughter, SomeGuyFawkes, thunder18, MariusDarkwolf, A Lady of Time, XxxImNotOkayxxX, phoebe turner, Yana5, serialkeller, Lightningblad49, and red-jacobson. You guys all keep me writing. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

"So, what are we doing tonight?" Angelina asked conversationally as they walked.

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Fred whispered.

"We're going to see Moaning Myrtle," Lee told her.

"Lee!" The twins groaned.

"You're not looking for the Chamber of Secrets," Alicia said firmly.

"Of course not. We're just gonna ask her a few questions, that's all," Fred assured her.

"Uh huh," Alicia muttered. "And you couldn't do this in broad daylight because?"

"Actually, we wanted to find out if Myrtle knew where the Chamber was," Lee said.

"Lee!" The twins moaned.

"Are you three mad?" Angelina exclaimed. "If Slytherin's monster killed Myrtle, what makes you think that it won't kill you too?"

"If it makes you feel any better-"

"We solemnly swear we won't go looking-"

"-for the Chamber tonight."

"You shouldn't go looking for the Chamber any night! What if you die?" Alicia begged.

"We won't. Now come on-"

"Myrtle's a bit sensitive, and Lee here-"

"-isn't exactly known for his tact."

"I'm not sure if we'll be much help," Angelina said apologetically. "She can be really mean."

"Who are you talking about?" A high-pitched voice whined. "Me? Miserable, moaning, moping Myrtle?"

"No!" All five voices said at once, frantically searching for an explanation.

"We're talking about another girl we know," Alicia lied.

"Who?" Myrtle questioned suspiciously.

"Uh, Olive!" Lee blurted, pulling the name out of thin air.

"Ohhhh! I hate girls named Olive. They're all so horrible," She burst out.

"Yeah, they're the worst," Lee agreed, bewildered. "They're so ugly, but then they get all popular and everyone likes them. And they always make fun of the good people, the smart people."

Myrtle nodded happily, ghost eyes bright.

"Olive is just a stupid name in general. Who names their kid after a food?"

Myrtle cackled gleefully and flew over them. "I like you. What's your name?"

"Lee Jordan," Lee replied cautiously. "Hey Myrtle, can I ask you a question? It's kind of personal."

She nodded.

"Well, um, how exactly did you die?"

"Oooh, it was delicious!" She giggled. "I was in the bathroom, crying because Olive Hornby had been making fun of me. I was in a stall when I heard someone talking. It was a boy in the girl's bathroom, so I opened the door to tell him off, but all I could see was a pair of glowing yellow eyes. And then I died," She sniffled.

"Wait, so it didn't bite you or anything? It just looked at you?" Angelina clarified.

"You heard me," The ghost said waspishly.

"Hey Myrtle, aren't you usually in your toilet right about now?" Fred asked.

"Oh, I see. You want me to leave. Myrtle's so annoying and pathetic. We hope she dies!" Myrtle wailed.

"Aren't you already dead?" George asked.

Myrtle sobbed and flew away.

"Who has tact now?" Lee challenged.

"Where did that come from, anyway?" Alicia asked.

"Dunno. Just told her what she wanted to hear," he shrugged.

"At least now you have a girl that likes you," Fred taunted.

"Hey!" Lee shouted.

"Who's there?" An old voice called out.

"It's Filch!" Alicia gasped.

"Quick, in here!" George pulled aside a tapestry to reveal a small alcove. The five teenagers ducked in and Lee swung the tapestry back into place.

"What can you smell, Mrs. Norris?" Filch whispered.

The old cat pawed at the tapestry. Fred dug around in his pocket. The cat meowed some more.

"What is it, dearie?" Filch asked.

Fred slid a cat treat down under the tapestry. Mrs. Norris pounced on the treat and gobbled it up.

"Agh! You old cat. You've got no idea how long that thing's been down there," He said affectionately.

The kids held their breath as the old caretaker slowly meandered away.

"How did you do that?" Alicia asked, in awe.

"I always keep one in my pocket during our adventures, just in case," Fred said.

Angelina sighed in relief and shifted, bumping a brick. The sound of stone moving echoed throughout the halls, making all five jump in surprise.

The alcove had expanded and a tunnel lead away from it.

"Where does that go?" Alicia asked.

The twins shrugged. "Never seen it before. Let's explore."

"Are you insane?" What if something really dangerous is down there?" Angelina hissed.

"What, like Slytherin's monster?" Lee joked.

"That's not funny!" She snapped. "Hey, where are you two going?"

The twins had their wands out to light the way. "We're going to check it out, of course."

"Of course," Angelina repeated sarcastically, before following.

"What if there are rats down there?" Alicia said fearfully.

"Are you a Gryffindor or not?" The twins demanded.

"Well, yeah, but…"Alicia trailed off. _The whole passageway looked like it was ready to collapse. Like something out of a mystery novel_, she marveled. None of the tunnel seemed to have been touched in centuries.

"Is that a bat?" Lee said curiously.

"I think it's dead," Angelina said. "It's starting to turn green."

"Eeew!" Alicia squealed. The sound bounced off the walls.

"Do you think anyone knows about this?" Lee wondered.

The twins traded looks. "If we didn't know about it, chances are no one does."

"We've got to figure out how to add this to the map," George muttered to Fred.

"What map?" Alicia said, puzzled.

"What?" Fred parroted as they turned a corner, a large swath of cobwebs in their way. No one was willing to venture through them.

"Alright," George sighed.

"We'll take one for the team," Fred agreed.

The twins moved to push through them, but turned and shoved Lee instead.

Lee let out a muffled scream followed by a loud "Ooph!"

"Are you okay?" Angelina called worriedly.

"Yeah. I just got pushed through a ton of spider webs and into a wall, but I'm just fine," He said angrily.

"Good job Lee!" The twins chorused.

"Wait a second," he murmured. "What's this?" The other four moved closer.

"It looks like you can just put your eye up to it and see inside," He whispered to them.

"What do you see?" Angelina bounced excitedly.

"Well, it's kind of hard to tell. Whatever it is, it's kind of green, but not really…" He froze.

"What's wrong?" Alicia asked urgently.

"Um, well," He gulped. "I think I found Slytherin's monster."

"No way!" The twins shouted, both trying to look at it.

"Hey! Quit pushing me!"

"I should get to see it first, I'm older!"

"Oh yeah? Well I'm better looking!"

"What is it?" Alicia asked Lee.

He cleared his throat. "Well, I think it's a 70 feet long snake, but I can't be sure, because I couldn't really see the end of it."

"70 feet?" Angelina gasped.

"Or more," Lee squeaked. "I think we found the Chamber of Secrets."

"But not the actual entrance," Alicia pondered. "It's got to be around here somewhere."

"Let's go looking!" The twins piped up, their previous banter forgotten.

"No!" The others yelled in unison.

The twins wore identical pouts. "Why not?"

"Because that thing could kill us!" Angelina shrieked.

"Aww, come on!" The two whined.

"No! That snake killed Myrtle with one look. We're all just gonna go back to the Common Room and sleep for the rest of the night. You two will not be going to look for the Chamber again, because you will die if you do!"

"But what about Hagrid?" The two moaned.

"He'll be fine. Now let's go!" Alicia snapped.

The whole walk back to the Common Room, the twins wouldn't stop talking about the Chamber.

"Slytherin was pretty stupid to put the tunnel in such an obvious place."

"He was pretty stupid to just put a peephole there. If he can speak Parseltongue, why was he so scared of really going in there?"

"It's almost like he wanted the Chamber to be found. But why?"

"Guess Hagrid will never get his name cleared now."

"Poor guy."

If Angelina had ever thought the twins annoying before, it was nothing compared to now.

* * *

"So, you wanted to see us?" Percy asked.

"Yes, yes, of course. Come on in." Charity Burbage had never expected to get very far in life. The people in power looked down upon her fascination with Muggles, and the magical world wasn't all that large to begin with. She could've moved to America or Australia, where everyone was a bit more tolerant of each other, but England was her home.

She had been a Gryffindor in school, but many of her classmates thought she should've been put in Hufflepuff. She was timid and shy, and she didn't like to put herself out there, but she was brae when she needed to be. She never hesitated to stand up for those being bullied.

But now she had a big responsibility. She was Head of Gryffindor. She couldn't look weak, or it would reflect badly on Gryffindor. The Slytherins seemed to be just waiting for one false move on her part that they could exploit. She wouldn't give them that chance. She wouldn't let Gryffindor down.

"I just wanted to ask you about your house, get familiar with it," She explained to Percy Weasley and Oliver Wood.

The two boys nodded. Percy seemed entirely professional, but Oliver glanced around her office curiously. She suddenly felt self-conscious of all the muggle trinkets she had lying around.

"What do you want to know?" Percy asked.

"Oh, um, well, I guess how would you describe your house?"

Oliver paused. "I think we're starting to get a little bit closer, which is good. Before, we'd always defend each other, but we didn't really know anything about anyone except for our friends."

"Okay, good. Um, is there anything you think Gryffindor needs to work on?"

Percy took a moment to think. "We could all probably be a lot nicer and just try to meet more people. It's like we don't even know people in our own house."

"Right," Charity scribbled down a few notes. "Are there any students in particular I should focus on?"

Oliver snorted. "Well definitely the Weasley twins. Probably Neville Longbottom, too. He's got some serious self-esteem issues."

"Ginny," Percy hesitated. "She's been having a rough time making friends, and she seems a little bitter."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah, I think so," Percy said.

"Alright. One last question. A lot of you seem very cautious and suspicious. Is there anything I can do to gain your trust?"

Oliver and Percy exchanged glances.

"McGonagall's been Head for forever," Oliver said finally. "Everyone knew her. We just kind of got used to her and took it for granted that she was there. I'm not saying you'll never be trusted, just that it will take you a while."

"Mostly, just be yourself," Percy added. "We can tell when you're faking. If you just act natural, then we'll like you more."

"I'm just so nervous," She confessed. "I didn't know what to do. It's like, I don't know most of these kids. I could tell they were all disappointed when they found out I was head."

"If you want, we could put in a good word for you," Percy offered.

"No. I have to do this myself," She said, determined. "But thank you."

* * *

"So how exactly was Hagrid framed?" Oliver asked outside Burbage's office.

"I don't know. Hermione and I looked everywhere in the library, but we couldn't find anything. Harry and Ron went down to ask him, but he wouldn't say anything."

"We could always give him some firewhiskey and see what he says," Oliver suggested.

"I'd rather do this in a way that wouldn't make me question my moral compass," Percy replied dryly. "No, we need to get it from a real witness, someone who was there, but not part of it."

"But Dumbledore's gone," Oliver groaned.

"But who else here has been teaching almost as long as Dumbledore?" Percy asked.

The two reached the same conclusion at the same time. "Flitwick."


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Alright, I've got a lot to tell you guys. First, I've got a poll up on my profile, or soon will if you're reading this directly after I post this chapter. It's about the final pairings for this story, and if I get something that conflicts, I'll decide. Second is that many of you were very happy that I mentioned Flitwick last chapter. I just wanted to warn you, you might not exactly like his actions this chapter, but I swear that he's a good guy. Now, who would you like to be Transfiguration professor? It definitely won't be Remus, because he can't be introduced just yet, but pretty much anyone else is fair game. Thanks so much for reading, as usual. I now have 319 favorites (!) and 547 follows (!), which makes me supremely happy. A ton of thanks goes out to my reviewers, Lourdes08, Narcissa-Weasly, Skylar of Gryffindor, Books are air, Kairan1979, Yana5, jilumasam, posiden'sdaughter, Tamira, Cosmyck Angel, Majerus, serenityselena, SomeGuyFawkes, red-jacobson, slicerness, thunder18, serialkeller, Wonderbee31, Katzztar, MariusDarkwolf, and Lightningblade49. I couldn't do it without all of your inspiring feedback. Expect another update sometime this weekend.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

"I'd really rather not say," the diminutive man squeaked, avoiding their eyes.

"But professor, it's really important," Oliver pleaded.

"But really, I- How do you even know about Tom Riddle?" He said, flustered.

"Look, Hagrid was convicted and expelled for something he didn't do. We're trying to clear his name, because it's the right thing to do. Just think of it as trying to know the true story," Percy said.

"Well, I-I suppose. For knowledge," he muttered. "Alright. We all believed Tom because he was very honest and charming. We never thought he would turn into that. He seemed trustworthy. And everyone knew of Hagrid's love of, er, dangerous creatures.

"But how was he framed?" Oliver asked.

"He was keeping an Acromantula as a pet. At the time, we believed that it was what had killed Myrtle. After her death, she was too distraught to tell us what happened, so we were forced to make our own assumptions. Hagrid was the logical choice. All of the evidence was stacked up against him," Flitwick sighed.

"You mean you expelled him on the word of one student?" Percy asked incredulously.

"Tom had never given us any reason to doubt him. And Headmaster Dippet was desperate for an explanation, because letters from parents were coming in like crazy. The Ministry was threatening to shut us down!" The charms professor explained.

"So Hagrid was a scapegoat?" Percy said coldly.

"Yes, in a way. I'm not proud of it, none of us are, but it was necessary," He begged them to understand.

"I think we've heard all we need to know," Oliver said curtly as he and Percy stood to leave Flitwick's office.

"But wait. This is a fifty year old case. It's going to be hard to prove anything," He warned them, looking worried.

"We know," Percy stated firmly.

* * *

"Well that was useless," Oliver said, frustrated.

"Not entirely. Everyone assumed Slytherin's monster was Hagrid's Acromantula. But we know that's not true. It's got to be something else. If we can figure out what Slytherin's monster is, then we'll be able to prove Hagrid's innocence."

"Percy! Oliver!" A girl's voice shouted.

Both boys turned to see Alicia running towards them. "We have a major emergency!"

"What is it?" Percy asked, alarmed.

"It's Fred and George. Last night we all went looking for the Chamber of Secrets. We didn't find the entrance, but we could see into it. The monster is a giant snake. We told Fred and George to leave it alone, but they went looking for it early this morning. We didn't notice they were gone until ten minutes ago. It could kill them!"

"Where are they?" Percy barked.

"Angelina and Lee went to check out Myrtle's bathroom, but what if they aren't there? What if we can't find them until-"

"Come on!" He ordered, already halfway down the hall.

"You said Slytherin's monster is a giant snake?" Oliver clarified as they ran through Hogwarts.

"Lee said it had to be at least 70 feet long," Alicia gasped out. "But the size doesn't matter. It killed Myrtle with just one look."

Percy suddenly stopped, making Oliver and Alicia crash into him. He didn't seem to notice. "Wait. A giant snake killed Myrtle by looking at her?"

"Yeah. Why?" Alicia asked, suspicious.

Percy paled even further. "Because that's no snake. That's a Basilisk."

* * *

"Argh!" Fred shouted as another spray of water hit him in the face.

"Not that one," George needlessly determined.

"There's got to be a better way of doing this," Fred grumbled, eyeing his soaked uniform.

The two had been ripping off every spout in the bathroom, and had been delighted to have Angelina and Lee come help them.

"Why don't you just try the one with the snake on it?" Angelina suggested, bored.

"What?!" The three boys exclaimed.

"But- but- that's so obvious!" George stammered.

Lee reached forward and pulled. And pulled. And pulled. "Why won't it come off?" He grunted.

"Step aside, dear boy," Fred said heroically as he and George stepped up to the faucet. The two then began to bicker over who was stronger and who should get to pull it off.

Percy, Oliver, and Alicia burst in the door, sagging in relief upon finding the twins safe.

"Why didn't you tell me they were okay?" She snapped. "Then I wouldn't have to go get them," She said, jabbing a finger at Percy and Oliver.

"You weren't planning on telling us about Slytherin's monster?" Oliver frowned.

"You weren't supposed to tell them!" The twins bellowed.

"It was an emergency!" She screamed.

"Everyone shut up!" Myrtle screeched as she soared out of her U-bend. "Except for you, Lee," She added flirtatiously. "I could listen to you talk all day."

Lee blanched and cleared his throat.

"Besides, Percy figured out what Slytherin's monster is," Alicia said smugly.

"What is it? What is it?" The twins threw themselves at Percy, who irritably shook them off.

"I won't tell you unless you tell me what you're doing here," he replied.

"Oooh! Our brother's learning how to make deals!" George cooed.

"We were trying to find our way into the Chamber of Secrets," Fred admitted reluctantly.

"We thought it might be in here because Myrtle says she heard a boy talking and then saw the monster," George continued. "Now what is it?"

"It's a Basilisk. You'll learn about them next year in Care of Magical Creatures," Percy informed them.

"You think Kettleburn will give me extra credit if I bring a live one in?" Lee joked.

"You would die," Percy said flatly. "One look into a Basilisk's eyes will kill you."

"Is there any way to prevent it?" Angelina asked.

"Isn't it like, if you only look into their eyes in a reflection, you'll be petrified?" Oliver tried to remember.

"I'd be pretty scared, too," Lee murmured.

"No, not that kind of petrified," Percy corrected him. "It's almost like you've been turned to stone. The only thing that can revive you is a Mandrake Draught."

"So that's why they didn't just kill those ugly babies," Fred whispered to George.

"So can we all agree that we won't go looking for the Basilisk or the Chamber of Secrets?_ Ever_?" Alicia demanded.

"But it's so close!" George moaned.

"I can almost taste it!" Fred exclaimed.

"That'd make a pretty nasty sandwich," George commented.

"You can say that again," Fred agreed.

"That'd make a pretty nasty sandwich," George repeated.

"Anyway, we will not be looking for the Chamber, or for the Basilisk, or any dangerous thing that could kill us," Angelina said.

"By that logic, we should never go to Snape's class," Lee muttered.

"Hey Oliver, do you know of any spell that would get this spout off?" The twins whispered.

"I'm not telling you," He said firmly.

"Why not?" They chorused. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"It went off to elope with my patience."

* * *

It was yet another early morning Gryffindor Quidditch practice, and this time Lee Jordan spotted a sea of blue.

"Wood!" Fifth year Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain Roger Davies shouted across the pitch.

"Davies," Oliver greeted him, stone-faced.

"Heard about your little scare tactic with the Slytherins. Wanted to congratulate you," Roger complimented.

"Really, because you don't seem very appreciative." Oliver stared him down.

"I just wanted to tell you that us Ravenclaws aren't that stupid. We're going into that game with our heads clear. None of your tricks are gonna get us," Roger smiled like a shark.

Oliver gritted his teeth. "I hope you're not implying that the only way we win games is by scaring the other team."

Roger shrugged. "You said it, not me."

"Roger," Cho whispered. Oliver noted that all of the Ravenclaws looked rather unwilling to be there. "Maybe we should leave."

"No," Roger said stubbornly. "We'll leave when they get the point."

"What point is that?" Angelina sneered. "That for people who are supposed to be intelligent, you have hardly any common sense?"

"Look around, Davies," Percy spoke up from behind the Ravenclaws. "You're outnumbered." The Quidditch team, McLaggen, Hermione, Ron, Percy, Neville, Lee, and even little Ginny and Colin stood, ready to fight.

Davies seemed to realize that he was fighting a losing battle. "You're safe for now, but on the pitch, it'll be seven versus seven, and we'll see who comes out on top," He threatened weakly.

Katie rolled her eyes at his retreating back.

Cho Chang could be heard crowing "I told you!"

Ron groaned at the sight of the approaching Hufflepuff team.

"Didn't you just see what happened?" Alicia huffed.

"That's not what we're here for," The captain said cheerfully. "Actually, we wanted to say that it was pretty impressive, what you did."

"Oh really?" Lee said dubiously.

"Yeah. You don't really see that kind of unity outside of Hufflepuff. Oh, and we have someone who'd like to say something," He said, motioning towards the Hufflepuff girl who had started the miniature riot in the Great Hall.

"I'm sorry," She squeaked, looking into Harry's eyes for a brief second and glancing away. "I didn't mean to, I just-" She fell silent.

"Er, it's okay," Harry replied.

"Is she part of your team?" Oliver asked, staring at her peculiarly.

"No. No first years on House teams, remember?" A blonde boy jeered at Harry.

"Shut up, Smith," The captain ordered. "Anyway, we were wondering if you guys wanted to set up a type of mock match, just to test our skills," He offered.

"Right now?" Oliver suggested.

"Why not?" Previously, Oliver had never paid much attention to the Hufflepuff team. He didn't really know any of them besides the captain, Clarence Scott, and the keeper, Wilhelmina Collins. In his mind, they were the only players who mattered. Plus, Hufflepuff was too fair to play dirty, which the Slytherins took advantage of, which meant the badgers were never close to winning the Cup. It wasn't that they weren't good players, just that they were _too_ good people.

The game was quick and clean, with Gryffindor winning. The Hufflepuffs were good about it though, as usual. When the rest of the teams shook hands, Scott pulled Oliver aside for a chat.

"Listen mate, I know you probably hate the 'claws right now, but they're really not that bad. Roger's just a little…intense. We've been friends since we were kids, but being captain's gone to his head," He explained.

"Nah, it's alright. I had the same thing happen," Oliver shrugged.

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. You got over it. I don't know how, and I'm not gonna pry, I just wanted to ask if you'd be willing to help Roger do the same thing," Scott begged.

"Er, I guess so," Oliver agreed uncertainly.

"Great! Let's go team!" He shouted excitedly, and all of them dashed off the field. Oliver couldn't shake the feeling that he'd just been set up by some Hufflepuffs.

* * *

"Alright girls," Charity was determined to listen to Percy and Oliver, and had prepared for a giant sleepover for the Gryffindor girls. There were going to be two. One for first through fourth years, and one for fifth through seventh years. Tonight was the younger girls, because she expected less resistance from them. A few grumbled a bit, but soon they were all settled in the common room.

She knew they didn't all get along. There was always at least one girl that didn't fit in with the others in her dorm. She had been that girl all through Hogwarts. It had been terrible, lying awake at night, shut up in her bed as the others giggled about boys. But Charity was optimistic. If she could stop it now, maybe fewer girls would get left behind.

"I was thinking that we could all just go around and introduce ourselves. We'll say our names, something we like, and what year we're in. Okay? I'll start. I'm Charity Burbage, the Muggle Studies professor, and I really like swimming. I kind of wish Hogwarts had a pool, because who knows what's in the Black Lake?"

All the girls giggled and some relaxed.

"I'm Demelza Robbins, and I'm in first year. I really like to run," a small brunette girl announced.

"Were you on any sort of team at home?" Charity asked, interested.

"Yeah, I played football and ran track."

The girls all nodded politely, but seemed bored.

"I'm Ginny Weasley, I'm a first year, and I- I don't really know what I like," She confessed.

"Well, it doesn't have to be any activity. It can be a color or a flower," Charity suggested.

"Um, okay. I like daisies," She said meekly.

"Hi. I'm Hermione Granger, and I'm a second year. I like books."

Another girl laughed.

"Something you'd like to share?" Charity inquired.

"Oh no. Nothing at all," the girl simpered. "I'm Lavender Brown, a second year, and I love make-up."

_How old was this girl? Twelve?_ Charity wondered. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I'm Parvati Patil, I'm a second year, and I like yoga," an Indian girl said quietly.

Demelza yawned.

"Girls, can I just interrupt for a moment?" Charity said. "I just have to say something really quick. It seems like you aren't really interested in each other. I don't feel like you understand where everyone's coming from. I know you're all different people, with different interests, but that doesn't mean you can't be friends." She was given a sea of blank faces in return.

She opted for a different tactic. "Parvati, who would you say is your best friend in this whole room?"

"Er, Lavender." The girl clearly thought it a trick.

"Okay, and what's your favorite color?"

"Orange," She replied.

"And Lavender, what's yours?"

"Lavender, of course," The conceited girl answered.

"Of course," Charity murmured under her breath. "You two like different colors, but you're still friends. Why can't you be friends with other people if they don't like the same things?"

"It's different," Angelina Johnson insisted. "People don't talk about colors that much, they talk about what they like to do."

"You just have to find something you have in common," Charity told them. "Here, let's try something. I want you to talk with someone you haven't said anything to today. Go on."

Katie was the first to move, darting across the room to perch herself next to Ginny. Angelina moved to sit across from Demelza. Girls kept pairing up all around the Common Room, until only Lavender and Hermione were left without partners. The girls traded unhappy looks and inched away from each other.

"Now tell the other about yourself. Your family, your friends, your wildest dreams, your biggest fears. Don't be afraid to open up," Charity advised them.

"Well, I'm muggleborn, from Liverpool, and my parents are dentists," Hermione told Lavender.

"I'm also muggleborn, from Sheffield, my mum's a nurse, and my dad's an accountant. I have a little sister named Lizzie. She's nine. She's really annoying sometimes, but I miss her when I'm at Hogwarts. She's…not magic," Lavender finished.

"Oh." Hermione didn't know how to respond to that. "Well, um, what did you want to be? Before Hogwarts, I mean."

"I wanted to be a stylist. I'd do people's hair, and makeup, and clothes. It would've been absolutely amazing," She sighed wistfully. "What did you want to be?"

"I wanted to be a teacher. I wanted other people to love learning as much as I do." Hermione turned pink, expecting teasing.

Lavender nodded thoughtfully. "You'd be good at that, I think."

"I dunno." Hermione stared at her hands. "People think I'm too bossy and annoying."

"I don't think so. People always say that I'm annoying, because I want to give them a makeover."

"I'd let you give me a makeover," Hermione said, surprising herself.

"Really?" Lavender blurted out. "That would be so amazing. If you let me give you a full, head to toe makeover, I'll let you boss me around about Hogwarts A History for a week."

Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"That came out wrong! I didn't-I just meant that-oh no!"

In spite of herself, Hermione giggled. Lavender blinked owlishly, confused. The giggles soon turned into full blown laughter, and Lavender joined in.

And thus, a very odd friendship began.

* * *

"Hi Demelza. I'm Angelina," she introduced herself. "I'm a fourth year, and I'm chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

"Is it fun?" Demelza asked curiously.

"Oh, loads!" Angelina's eyes brightened. "It's one of the best sports out there. Actually, it's pretty much the only one we have in the Wizarding world. I'm a half-blood, so my mum taught me about basketball and rugby and the others. But there's nothing like Quidditch, when you're in the air. It's the greatest feeling in the world. You should be having flying lessons soon."

"That sounds like fun," Demelza said truthfully. "But um, I still don't really understand Quidditch. The rules and stuff."

"Oh, okay. See, the best position is chaser. There's three of us. Me, Alicia Spinnet talking to Parvati, and Katie Bell with Ginny. We try to make goals by throwing a ball called the Quaffle through some hoops. The keeper (ours is Oliver Wood) tries to keep the opposing team from scoring. It's a bit like football, in that way. To add more difficulty to the game, balls called Bludgers race around trying to knock players off their brooms. Each team gets two beaters who hit the Bludgers with bas, trying to get the Bludgers away from their team. In my experience beaters generally have more brawn than brains. Ours are the Weasley twins, and I guess they're sort of half and half. Once in a while, I think they're geniuses, but then they go and do something stupid and I lose any respect for them."

"There's just one more thing. Quidditch games aren't timed. They end when the seeker catches a very tiny ball called the snitch. Each goal made is worth 10 points, but the snitch is worth 150 points. The snitch is really hard to find. Seeker sound really boring. You just fly in the air until you see gold. Of course, the game's never boring with Harry Potter as seeker. But really, chaser's the only good position. But then, I'm biased," Angelina grinned sheepishly.

"I think I'd like to be on the team," Demelza thought out loud.

"Well, we won't have any open positions until you're a third year. That's when Oliver graduates, but I think McLaggen wants to be keeper…" Angelina trailed off, chewing on her lip.

"That's okay. I want to be a chaser." And that was how Demelza Robbins one day became a chaser for the Holyhead Harpies.

Charity felt like that had gone better than expected. Honestly, she had been anticipating more arguments and only a bit of progress. Of course, whether or not all of the girls would keep their new friendships remained to be seen, but Charity Burbage was cautiously optimistic.

* * *

"Now, I know we only just recently had a staff meeting, but seeing as how circumstances have changed, I thought we should hold another one," McGonagall said, settling into the head chair.

Everyone murmured their agreement. "Alright, first, how are you settling into your new positions?"

Septima Vector merely nodded, not one to waste breath on needless words. Charity though, spoke up.

"Oh it's lovely, Minerva," She gushed. "They're all such wonderful kids, and the first years are absolutely adorable. Thank you for trusting me with them."

Snape sneered. "You think they're all so great now, just you wait until one makes you-"

"Severus," McGonagall warned. Snape stopped. She smiled. "I'm glad you like them. Aurora, are you doing well so far?"

Aurora laughed. "Oh it's wonderful."

"Just wait until it's time for you to sign all of those letters," McGonagall remarked dryly.

"Yes, are you sure you're adjusting well? It must be a big responsibility to take on, especially since you were just a teacher before," Pomona said innocently. Minerva knew Pomona had been hoping to be Deputy Headmistress. The two had been friends for decades, but Minerva had honestly thought Aurora better suited for the position. Pomona wasn't going to let it go for a few years at least, and neither would her Hufflepuffs. Really, Minerva wasn't sure how people came to the conclusion that Hufflepuffs were sweet and non-threatening. If you offended one, you had a whole group after you.

"Have any of you been having any trouble with students?" She said, changing the subject.

"All of the Gryffindors have been suspiciously well-behaved," Snape muttered.

"I'm sure that's thanks to Charity," Minerva complimented the younger woman.

Charity glowed with pride. "They've been coming together lately. Bonding, I think."

"That's wonderful," Aurora praised.

"Isn't it?" She bounced.

Snape rolled his eyes. "Nevertheless, I think something is going on. The Weasley twins are behaving as if they've planned some great prank, and they're just waiting for it to go off. I know they are up to something!" He declared.

"Severus, shut up," Minerva ordered. "Now, there is still the fact that the Transfiguration post is still empty. Do any of you have any suggestions?" No one said anything.

"Anyone? Anyone at all? And no, Severus, I won't pick any of your friends," She added, glaring.

"Well, I suppose we'll just have to wait and see," she murmured. "Alright, if no one has anything to discuss, you are all dismissed."

"Minerva, may I speak with you in private?" Filius squeaked nervously.

"Yes, of course." She ushered him to the side of the staff room.

"It's about a few boys in Gryffindor," He began, troubled. "Specifically, Oliver Wood and Percy Weasley. It seems that they have discovered something about the Chamber of Secrets, and the Riddle incident," He rushed out, waiting for her reaction.

She paled. "This is not good."


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: A pretty short chapter this time around, but that's because the next one's going to be packed. The poll's going to stay up for a bit longer. Right now, Neville/Ginny and Neville/Luna are neck and neck, as are Fred/Angelina and George/Angelina. I think I'll just keep the other results secret for now, to torture you all a bit. How would you feel about me posting some of the outtakes on FF? They'd be pretty short, and it wouldn't be very regular. Thanks to all my readers, to my 340 favorites and 579 follows, you guys are absolutely amazing! Super special thanks goes out to reviewers David305, , jayley, lilmisdiva, Cosmyk Angel, Herbology Apprentice, Cassandra30, Spring Raine, Beth5572, Kairan1979, serenityselena, shopaholic1369, B00kw0rm92, Makurayami Ookami, MariusDarkwolf, Wonderbee31, serialkeller, Call Me Crazy 'Cause I Am, phoebe turner, Lightningblade49, Yana5, anthony37, and red-jacobson. Your feedback really does help!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

"Hello boys," Professor Burbage said as she took a seat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Harry, Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville all sat together. For some strange reason, Hermione had told them to leave without her, because she was talking to _Lavender_, of all people. It didn't make much sense.

And now Professor Burbage was sitting with them at breakfast, even though all five boys were certain they'd done nothing wrong. She didn't bother skipping straight to the point, just speared a few pancakes onto her plate and covered them in syrup. What would they do?

"Er, professor?" Harry asked uncertainly. She glanced up from her breakfast. "Not to be rude or anything, but why are you sitting here?"

She paused. "I just wanted to get to know you all a bit. I've met most of the girls by now, but I don't know anything about you boys."

The boys sighed in relief upon realizing they weren't in trouble.

"So, what do you all like to do for fun?"

"Quidditch," Seamus, Harry, and Ron chorused.

"What's your favorite team?" She inquired.

"Kenmare Kestrels, for sure," Seamus declared.

"What? The Kestrels? Everyone knows that the Chudley Cannons are the best," Ron disagreed.

"And what about you, Harry?" She interrupted.

"Oh, um," He fumbled. "Don't really reckon I have one."

"Me neither," Burbage chirped. "It's just too hard to pick, I think. Neville, what about you? What do you like?"

"Plants," Neville muttered softly.

"Oh really? Would that mean you like Herbology as well?"

He nodded shyly.

"Y'know, that's a pretty important subject. If we didn't have good Herbologists, we wouldn't be able to produce proper potions."

He smiled and ducked his head.

"And Dean, how about you?"

"Er, I draw and paint a lot." He seemed reluctant to tell her this, as if expecting ridicule.

"Oooh, fun! Do you do any sculpting or photography?"

He shook his head. "Actually, Colin's really into photography."

"I don't think I've met a Colin yet. Where is he?" She turned in her seat.

"Right here!" an enthusiastic voice called. Burbage glanced around and was blinded by a camera flash. "Sorry about that," Colin apologized. "I just wanted to show my dad our new Head of House."

"No problem," She replied, still dazed. She had no idea she'd get such…zealous children in Gryffindor House. But then again, she could recall her housemates' antics all too well.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Colin."

"You too. Oh wow! Dad'll never believe this!" And with that, the small boy raced toward the end of the table where a few students were playing Gobstones.

The second year boys all carefully judged Charity's reaction. If she was angry with Colin, it spelled out trouble for the rest of the year. On the other hand, if she reverted back to being afraid again, they may as well surrender to Slytherin.

"He's so energetic!" She smiled.

Harry decided that he liked Professor Burbage. She seemed…relaxed, and he figured that with a House like Gryffindor that was a very good thing.

* * *

Oliver Wood truly hated Roger Davies. Oliver had been sitting under a tree by the Black Lake, planning out some new Quidditch maneuvers, when who should stumble upon him but the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain.

"Davies," Oliver greeted him civilly.

"Wood, what do you think you're doing?"

"What the hell d'you mean? I've been sitting here, minding my own business!"

Davies snorted. "Yeah, likely story. It's gonna take a lot better to fool me."

"Fool you?" Oliver repeated incredulously. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about whatever spell you cast on Clarence," Roger accused. "Ever since that day on the pitch he won't stop talking about you! 'Wood's just trying to help you.' 'Wood's a great guy.' 'You should apologize to Wood.' What are your motives?" He shouted.

"You're mental," Oliver retorted. "Absolutely mental! There's no reason for me to do that to Scott!"

"No reason that's obvious, maybe!" Roger yelled. "But I know you, Wood! You're just trying to win the Cup this year. You're sore we beat you-"

"What seems to be the problem here?" Burbage said, sneaking up on them.

"Wood's bewitched Clarence Scott!" Davies bellowed.

"No I haven't!" Oliver denied.

"Mr. Davies, that is a serious accusation. Do you have any proof?" She replied seriously.

"Yeah, actually. Clarence has been acting unusual lately," Roger claimed.

"I'm afraid that's not very sufficient evidence. Now, Oliver your friends are looking for you," She motioned toward Oliver. He smirked triumphantly at Davies whose mouth hung open disbelievingly.

* * *

At lunch, Professor Burbage sat with them again. Harry thought McGonagall might disapprove, but she simply smiled and nodded in their direction. Harry sat with an impossibly large group of children; all of the second years, Oliver, Percy, McLaggen, Katie, the twins, Lee, Alicia, Angelina, Ginny, Colin, and Demelza all bunched together. Nearly Headless Nick sat with them too, looking strangely happy.

"And how has your day been, Sir Nicholas?" Burbage asked cordially.

"Oh, it's wonderful! It started out rather badly, because I'd just received yet another rejection letter from the Headless Hunt-"

"The what?" Seamus mouthed silently.

"But then I had the most wonderful idea. I only need someone to help me…" He trailed off.

"What is it?" Parvati asked curiously.

"Well, you see, next Wednesday is Halloween, and it is also my 500th death day," He announced, puffing out his chest with pride.

"Congratulations?" Angelina offered hesitantly.

"Thank you very much. I'm hosting an incredibly large party, and the Headless Hunt will perform. I thought that if I could get a real, live human at my party to tell Sir Patrick how absolutely terrifying I am, then I would be sworn into the Headless Hunt for sure! The only problem is, I haven't yet found anyone willing," He stared down at his empty plate, quickly glanced up at them, then looked away.

"Sound like fun!" The twins chimed.

"I'll do it," Lee said.

"Count me in," Dean said.

Soon enough, the whole group had agreed to attend Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington's 500th Death Day celebration. The ghost beamed with joy.

"Oh, it will be so grand! I'll have half of Gryffindor attending my little get together. That you're willing to miss the Halloween feast to help an old ghost out means so much."

"Halloween feast?" Ron cried. Hermione elbowed him sharply. "I mean, yeah, sure, anything for a fellow Gryffindor."

"Great! I simply must tell the Fat Friar about this. If you'll excuse me," And he floated away.

"That's very kind of you all," Burbage praised them. "I'm sure Sir Nicholas will be very happy to have you all at his party."

"What party?" The Head Boy, Richard Jones, popped up behind them. A short, thin boy with black hair and an easy-going attitude, he had been the obvious choice for the position.

"All of these guys are going to a death day party," Burbage informed him happily.

"A death day party? For who?"

"Nick, of course," The twins chorused.

"_Our_ Nick? I bet that'll be fun. There's probably not too many living who can say they've been to one," He said enviously.

"Hey Nick!" Oliver hollered across the Hall. "Got room for one more?"

"Of course!" The ghost replied, ecstatic. "The more the merrier."

"Wicked!" Jones breathed. "Thanks Wood!"

"Professor Burbage, do ghosts show up on camera?" Colin asked.

She thought for a moment. "I'm not actually sure. Sorry."

He shrugged. "That's okay. We'll just have to wait and see. Hey Nick!" _Click_.

Sir Nicholas looked momentarily startled before smiling. "This will be the greatest death day in history!"

* * *

Generally, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor didn't seem to have too many classes together, but fourth year Defence Against the Dark Arts was the exception.

"I wonder if he'll show me how…" Alicia thought aloud.

"Don't see what the big deal is. He's just a pretty boy with no brains," Lee grumbled.

"Don't talk about him like that," Angelina defended him.

"He's amazing!" Alicia responded.

"Yeah right," George muttered.

"Cedric Diggory's a bloody ponce," Fred whispered.

"And here comes the ponciest git of them all," Lee murmured as Lockhart walked in, dressed in lavish lavender robes.

"Good afternoon, class," He called as he strode to his desk. "So sorry to be late, but I assure you, it was well worth the wait," He smiled and the girls swooned.

"Now, I think today we shall be discussing werewolves. Of course, I would bring in a real one to show you exactly how I defeated the Wagga Wagga Werewolf, but Professor McGonagall informed me that this would be a bad idea," He winked at them.

All the girls giggled at him.

"Hey Professor?" Diggory asked. "Is it true that the pixies you showed to the second years ended up attacking you?" His friends laughed.

Lockhart turned an unflattering purple. "Er, well-I wouldn't believe everything you hear…"

Alicia and Angelina were torn between their fangirl love for Diggory and their fangirl love for Lockhart. Ultimately, their adoration for older men won out, and they turned their backs on the Hufflepuff.

"Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, the Wagga Wagga Werewolf. An incredibly dangerous creature. It'd been bothering the nearby village for years, you see, and I-"

Just as Lockhart began to gain steam, Lee gave a massive yawn, stretching back to put a note on the twins' desk.

_Want to get out of here?_

One twin pretended to drop his quill, leaned forward to pick it up, and slid a response onto Lee's desk.

_Create a distraction._

"Professor?" He asked loudly. "I've just realized-the Headmistress wanted us to come see her directly after lunch. Apparently, hexing quills is against the rules. Who knew? Would it be alright-"

"Oh yes, yes, of course," Lockhart boomed jovially. "We wouldn't want to keep our esteemed headmistress waiting, would we? Although, I would advise you to lay off the pranks for a bit. Getting up to mischief every now and again can be fun, but that sort of thing really puts a damper on your career."

The three boys nodded solemnly and hurried out of the classroom.

"Lee, we're deeply disappointed in you," George tut-tutted.

"That was your chosen distraction?" Fred continued.

"I _could've_ done better, but it's Lockhart," Lee pointed out. "He'll believe anything. What's the point in wasting a good excuse on him?"

"That's true. So boys, what shall we do today?" George asked.

"I think we should go looking for the Chamber," Fred suggested.

"And I think we shouldn't," Lee chirped.

"Aw, come on! What is it with all of you lately?" The twins moaned.

"Yes, what is going on?" A fourth voice, unfamiliar and slimy, wondered.

"Uh oh," Lee whimpered. Because standing directly behind them was caretaker Argus Filch.

* * *

Later that night, a notice was put on the Gryffindor Common Room notice board. It was a general invite to Sir Nicholas' party, put up by Richard Jones. Anyone in Gryffindor could attend, and it was a "once in a lifetime" experience. As all the others swarmed around it for information, the old group sat by the fire, discussing recent developments.

"So you actually found the Chamber?" Katie gasped in amazement.

"Right, but not the entrance," Alicia said.

"Slytherins' monster is a Basilisk?" Hermione double-checked. "It makes sense. The house emblem is a serpent and Slytherin was a parselmouth."

"What's a parselmouth?" Harry frowned.

"It's someone who can speak to snakes," Percy explained. "Slytherin's the last known parselmouth.

Harry decided to keep his own time at the zoo a secret for now. _What if they hated him?_

"I'm surprised you two aren't all over it by now," Ron remarked to the twins. "Seems like the kind of thing you'd want to explore."

They shook their heads in synch. "We've moved onto bigger and better things," They said airily.

"Oh really?" Percy asked, suspicious. "Things like what?"

"Things like Filch being a squib," They said casually.

"What's a squib?" Harry asked, bewildered.

"A squib is someone who is born into a magical family, but doesn't have magic themselves." Hermione seemed prepared to go on, but Oliver intervened.

"And how did you find out Filch was a squib?" Oliver arched an eyebrow.

"We were cutting class-"

"What?!" Hermione, Katie, and Percy exclaimed simultaneously.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, it was just Lockhart!"

"Anyway, Filch caught us and took us to his office."

"Can't believe we were so sloppy!"

"And on his desk, he had a Kwikspell pamphlet, just lying there."

"Dunno why, it's a total fraud."

"And then, right when he's about to assign us detention, a really loud thump comes from upstairs."

"He goes up to investigate, and we're free!"

"So we grab the pamphlet and run! He has no idea."

"Found out later it was Nick who made the thump."

"Real great chap he is, pity we never noticed him before now."

"Why would you take the pamphlet?" Alicia asked.

"To look at it, of course!"

"Are you Percy Weasley and Oliver Wood?" A girl with strawberry blonde hair and freckles asked. At Percy's cautious nod, she said "Professor McGonagall would like to see you."


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: I wasn't expecting to update today, but that's what happens when you get snowed in. I'm insanely surprised by the amount of response this fic has gotten. My one month anniversary is tomorrow, and I already have 597 followers and 349 favorites. And of course I can't forget my lovely reviewers who have helped me so much: phoebe turner, , Spring Raine, Majerus, B00kw0rm92, Cateagle, grlt, Tamira, posieden'sdaughter, MariusDarkwolf, serialkeller, RRW, shopaholic1369, Lightningblade49, serenityselena, Yana5, red-jacobson, Beth5572, Makurayami Ookami, and anthony37. The poll will be up for a little while longer, but see if you can catch some of them in this chapter. Some were subtle, some not so much.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

"What did you do?" Percy hissed.

"Nothing! I mean, I didn't actually get into any fights," Oliver said guiltily.

"But what else did you do?" Percy pressed.

"Well, Davies and I may have had a _slight_ disagreement, but I swear I didn't hex him or punch him or anything!" He shook his head frantically.

"So you're learning how to control your temper?" Percy asked skeptically.

"I wouldn't go that far. More like Burbage saw us shouting and broke it up," Oliver mumbled. "But it didn't seem like she was going to tell."

"She might not have, but Davies probably did," Percy said grimly.

"This wouldn't have happened if bloody Scott hadn't tricked me. I just thought that since he was a Hufflepuff, he wouldn't do anything serious!"

"Why would you assume something like that?" Percy groaned. "Now look what's happened!"

"What I wanna know is, why does McGonagall want to see you?" Oliver wondered, confused.

"Guess we'll find out," He shrugged. "Transformations," He said to the gargoyle, a sick feeling in his stomach as he climbed the stairs.

_I knew it_, Oliver thought victoriously as he saw Flitwick standing by McGonagall's desk. But where was Davies? Oliver was sure the awful git would want to be here to gloat over them.

Both McGonagall and Flitwick remained serious as Oliver and Percy took a seat. Oliver felt his heart sink. They can't possibly believe Davies, can they?

"Wood, Weasley," McGonagall began quietly, eyes fixed on a cat figurine on her desk. "Recently, you came to Professor Flitwick about a boy named Tom Riddle. Is this true?"

Percy nodded.

"Now, Hagrid was convicted of opening the Chamber of Secrets and killing Myrtle Henderson in 1943. Yet you say you have evidence to the contrary?"

"Yes," Percy drew out the word slowly.

"Why do you think that Tom Riddle is the true perpetrator, and that Rubeus Hagrid was framed of both charges?"

Oliver was getting tired of being politically and lawfully correct about it all. "Look professor, we know that Tom Riddle is Voldemort." Professor Flitwick squeaked but the others ignored him. "We know that he's Slytherin's heir, which means that he'd probably know where the Chamber of Secrets is and how to open it. We also know that Hagrid is probably the least likely person to want to unleash a monster that would kill a ton of muggleborns."

"Mr. Wood, while I admire the fact that you obviously put a lot of time and research into your theory, it most likely won't stand up in court," She told them severely.

But Oliver was ready. "Hagrid had an Acromantula as a pet, right? And that's what everyone thought was Slytherin's monster. But it isn't. Slytherin's monster is a Basilisk, and we know where it is." And with that, he leaned back in the stiff armchair with a smug look.

"Isn't this where we're allowed to ask for legal counsel?" Percy intervened, trying to keep Oliver from saying anything else incriminating. McGonagall motioned towards Flitwick. He pushed a small button on a recorder that Oliver hadn't noticed during his big reveal. McGonagall took a steadying breath.

"That was an official recording for the Ministry," She whispered in a strangled voice. "We are required to record an official statement by anyone who questions the events of the Chamber. Of course, now we'll have to re-record it, as there's some very sensitive information on there."

"Why can't you send it in? Let the whole world know that Voldemort's a total hypocrite!" Oliver raged.

"Do you hear yourself?" Percy asked incredulously. "Think of the possible ramifications. It might start another war, by some pureblood Death Eater who swears he can do what Riddle couldn't! It'd be insane."

"10 points to Gryffindor for logical thinking," Flitwick said weakly.

"How did you know about the Chamber?" McGonagall asked suddenly. "And about Tom Riddle? And where is the Basilisk?"

"Are you sure we can't still get that legal representation?" Oliver muttered to Percy.

Percy shook his head. "Hermione got the stuff about the Chamber from a book. One that she bought with her own money, so you can't take it away from her," He added quickly.

McGonagall and Flitwick gave him affronted looks. "We would never do such a thing, Mr. Weasley," Flitwick said stiffly.

"Right," Percy said. "Anyway, the stuff about Tom Riddle was pretty easy to find, and of course Professor Flitwick gave us a little more information."

"Are you sure it didn't come from any other source?" Flitwick pried.

Oliver narrowed his eyes. "We didn't ask Hagrid-well, okay, we did, but he wouldn't answer any of our questions, if that's what you want to know."

"And the Basilisk?" McGonagall steamrolled on ahead.

Percy winced. "That's the part we'd need a lawyer for. Our source wouldn't be too happy if we released their names."

"Can you tell us where it is?" Flitwick asked hopefully.

Oliver scratched his head. "Yeah, I think that'd be okay. So across from Myrtle's bathroom is this tapestry of a unicorn. Push that back, and then there's this little cave. One brick in the cave should stick out from all the rest, and if you push that in, it will open up a tunnel. You follow the tunnel to the very end. It's just a peephole to see inside though, not the actual entrance."

"That should be enough. Imagine, a real Basilisk. One hasn't been spotted in Scotland in over 400 years." Flitwick foamed at the mouth, dreaming of the possibilities.

"Filius," McGonagall reprimanded him. "No one can know, remember? This has to be kept secret. I don't want to even think of what would happen if parents found out that a Basilisk has been in this school for so long."

Oliver made a noise, part growl and part squeak, which startled McGonagall and Flitwick.

"Wood," The Headmistress started lowly. "Who knows about that Basilisk?"

"Er, well, you see-" He stammered.

"We can't tell you," Percy interrupted smoothly. "It would compromise our source."

She glared. "How _many_?"

"Well, including us, eleven."

McGonagall began taking deep breaths to calm down. "Alright, eleven, that's not so bad." Percy wondered who she was trying to convince, them or her. "You know that you must keep quiet about this? Don't tell anyone, anyone, about our conversation. We will sort this out. You are dismissed."

"What?"

"No!" Both boys sputtered at the woman. "You can't do this!"

"We want to help!"

"You are sixteen," She barked at them. "I will not allow two teenagers to go up against a deadly beast. You could at best be petrified, at worst dead!"

"Seriously?" Oliver gaped.

"We could help!" Percy insisted.

Her nostrils flared. "And what do two sixth years know that several highly trained witches and wizards don't?" The boys stayed silent.

"I'm sorry if I care more for the safety of my students than for fulfilling their sense of adventure. Thank you for bring this to my attention, but I'm afraid it's time for us adults to _be_ adults."

* * *

Aurora Sinistra wrinkled her nose as the stench of mold filled the air. She, Minerva, Filius, Pomona, Septima, and Charity were on their way to destroy the Basilisk. Severus and Lockhart hadn't been informed of this venture purely because Minerva believed they would hinder the mission. Aurora wasn't altogether sure why six people were needed to kill a Basilisk. Only one person could perform the charm, and having the others there just meant that more people could die.

What truly bugged Aurora was the fact that Minerva refused to say who had told her about the Basilisk in the first place. _Although, Filius seemed to know, which implied that it was a Ravenclaw_.

Aurora had been a Claw herself, back in school. All of the others had found her love of Astronomy odd. Ravenclaws generally stuck to books and theory, rather than practical application. But the stars were something that had to be witnessed to truly understand. To Aurora, they were both beautiful and unreachable. Wizards could claim that they knew everything on earth, but the starts held a powerful aura of mystery.

She had realized early on that very few careers required Astronomy, and those that did were typically phony. But lucky for her, the Astronomy professor at Hogwarts retired just as she began to run out of temporary jobs. Dumbledore had hired her on the spot, probably because no one else applied. Hogwarts in general seemed to have a hard time receiving competent applicants, which was how they landed Lockhart and was the precise reason more teachers needed to stay safe.

_After all_, she thought glumly, _we're already down a Transfiguration professor_.

"Here it is!" Charity whispered excitedly.

A small peephole was the only thing at the end of the tunnel, unless you counted the hairy, dead spider.

"Who's going to do it?" Septima asked.

"Don't look at me, I just deal with plants," Pomona took a step back.

"I don't use a whole lot of magic anymore. I'm trying to imagine how muggles live," Charity explained.

"I don't think I'd be capable of doing this," Aurora denied.

"Arithmancy is just numbers, really. I'm not too sure I could handle this either," Septima said.

"Oh honestly! Isn't it obvious who will do it?" McGonagall declared. Everyone was relieved. Of course, the Headmistress would take care of things! "Filius, you're the one with a Charms mastery, you do it," She ordered sternly.

The tiny man gulped and slowly walked toward the peephole. "What if it looks at me?" He moaned pitifully.

"Just get on with it," Septima urged him.

Filius conjured up a little stool to stand on and cringed. Carefully, he put his eye up to it and saw a huge scale, green and shiny. He forgot to breathe for a moment.

"Come on," He murmured and shook himself. He concentrated firmly on the Basilisk and whispered a spell. He hadn't slept for 36 hours, trying to find something just right. He had come across an ancient curse that could shut down any living thing (beast or being)'s internal organs for 100 years. Minerva agreed to put the instructions in the Headmaster's log for whatever poor, unlucky soul had to deal with it. Virtually nothing could revive the Basilisk, which meant the school would be safe from another Chamber incident.

"It's done," He announced, and the six professors scurried back to their offices.

* * *

Harry had never been to a death day part before, and if they were all like Sir Nicholas's, Harry didn't want to go to another. The music was played by an orchestra composed of thirty saws. A very large amount of ghosts stood around, including The Fat Friar, The Grey Lady, and The Bloody Baron.

"Peeves!" The twins roared upon seeing the poltergeist headed for them. "How you been, old pal?"

"Great!" The little man whooped. "I've been teasing Myrtle, causing a ruckus, and annoying old Filchie!"

"Hey Peeves," Fred called eagerly. "Did you know that Filch is a-"

A hand was slapped across his mouth. "A little upset at you? Not a whole lot, though. I think he's starting to relax," Alicia lied as she dragged Fred away. "What do you think you're doing?" She hissed.

"I was just gonna tell Peeves that Filch is a squib, s'all."

"Why would you do that?" Alicia asked angrily.

"Because it's funny," Fred replied matter-of-factly.

"No it's not! Those pranks you play with George and Lee? That's funny. Making fun of someone who doesn't have magic? That's just sick and cruel," She proclaimed.

"I don't see Angelina nagging George," Fred grumbled jealously.

"That's because George isn't an insensitive jerk like you, Fred Weasley!" She shrieked and left him alone, feeling as though he'd gotten punched in the gut.

Lee, Katie, and Cormac were trying to make their way across the dance floor without walking through a ghost, a nearly impossible feat. They were almost halfway when a screech of "Lee!" caused the boy to slide through a knight. He shuddered with cold, turned to find Moaning Myrtle, and shuddered with a little something else.

"Hello," She cooed flirtatiously as she glided towards him. "Lovely to see you here. You know the Headless Hunt is supposed to perform?"

"Yeah, I heard that. Listen Myrtle, I'm kind of in the middle of something," He tried to dodge her.

"I'm sure it can wait a little bit," Myrtle said coyly as she blocked his path. For a moment Lee thought about just walking right through her, but he figured that would be considered rude.

"You two can go ahead," She called over her shoulder to Katie and Cormac. "This is gonna take a while."

"So, Katie," Cormac began awkwardly as they kept moving. "What do-"

"Hey McLaggen," Oliver appeared, breathless, just as Cormac was about to ask her. "Your sister wants to talk to you."

He nodded sulkily. "See you Katie."

"What was that about?" Oliver asked quizzically.

"He was just being friendly," Katie defended him.

"A little _too_ friendly," Oliver said under his breath.

"What?"

"Wanna get some food?" Oliver quickly changed the subject. Colin stood by the buffet, taking pictures of both rotting food and dead guests.

"Hey guys!" He burst out ecstatically. "Guess what? It turns out that ghosts do show up on camera!"

A nearby group of nuns heard him and were very…_vocal_ about their anger. Colin shrunk back in fear, but Katie and Oliver just glared.

Suddenly, the whole party went quiet and the orchestra stopped playing.

"It's time!" Oliver whispered frantically. Katie pulled Colin over to Nick.

"Ready Demelza?" She murmured. The young girl nodded. They couldn't forget why they were there: to help Sir Nicholas.

The Headless Hunt came galloping in, tossing each other's heads back and forth. The leader, who Katie assumed was Sir Patrick, stopped directly in front of them and put his head back on.

"Lovely little party you've got going," He said. "Even got a big group of live ones here! Guarantee they've never seen anything like the Headless Hunt, eh?"

"Actually sir," Demelza said strongly, stepping forward. "Muggles have shown things like that for years."

"What?" Sir Patrick jumped back in fake shock, his head falling off. The Gryffindors were neither amused nor afraid.

"Oh yes," Hermione nodded vigorously. "The Headless Horseman, for instance."

"Well," He huffed. "Those muggles think of everything, don't they?"

"Not really," Colin said. "They've never invented anything _too_ gruesome." He glanced fearfully at Sir Nicholas.

Nick grinned and swung his head off his scruff. Everyone grimaced, gasped, and looked away. Everyone except little Demelza, who screamed loudly. Nick carefully reset his head and took a peek at Sir Patrick.

"Well, Patrick," He began gloomily. "I guess scaring just isn't what it used to be, is it?" He floated away, Sir Patrick quickly following.

"Nicholas, old chum, listen-"

"Good job," Angelina praised Demelza.

"Yeah, the scream was really real…sounding," Lee finished lamely.

Demelza beamed and moved to cut a piece of cake.

"Ugh!" She gagged. _Click!_ "Colin!"

"Hey, do you think Nick will let me take a picture of him without his head?" Colin wondered.

"Who cares? I'm starving," Ron complained.

"Alright, I think we've stayed long enough. Let's go," Percy agreed and lead them to the Great Hall. They were almost there, just passing Myrtle's bathroom when Harry heard it.

…_rip…tear…KILL!_


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: I've discovered something. I'm much better at posting short updates every other day than posting longer updates once a week. Probably because I have a short attention span. This one is especially short, because I really wanted to end it there. As usual, thanks to my 374 favorites and 620 follows. Super special thanks to reviewers Cassandra30, XxxImNotOkayxxX, fanficreader2842, posieden'sdaughter, B00kw0rm92, Majerus, Skylar of Gryffindor, Makurayami Ookami, mich1990, OpenMindedPerson, serenityselena, trongod, Narcissa-Weasly, Cosmyk Angel, MariusDarkwolf, Strumwulf, serialkeller, Books are air, Kairan1979, Lightningblade49, Spring Raine, Yana5, and red-jacobson. You've all helped me improve so much! The poll will be taken down Saturday, but I think I already know how it's going to turn out.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

"What's that?" Harry asked, spooked.

"What's what?" Ron asked, next to him.

"That voice," Harry whispered. "It-it-I can't really tell where it's coming from."

"I don't hear anything," Neville said nervously.

"Wait! There it is again!"

…_so hungry…for so long…_

"Can't you hear it? Just listen," Harry ordered.

Their group went silent. Thankfully, some of the people Harry didn't know very well were up ahead of them, which meant only Harry's friends thought he was crazy, not total strangers.

"I can hear it," Harry whispered again.

…_kill…time to kill…_

"There it was!" He shouted.

"What was it saying?" Percy asked urgently.

"It was talking about killing something," Harry's eyes widened. "Or someone."

Percy and Oliver exchanged dark looks.

"Can you tell where it was coming from?"

"I dunno," Harry replied, concentrating. "It's almost like it's behind the wall."

Alicia paled drastically. "_Behind_ the wall?"

…_I smell blood…I SMELL BLOOD…_

"It's going up!" Harry exclaimed, a hint of hysteria creeping in. "I think it's gonna kill someone!"

"Hey, Richard!" Percy yelled ahead. "We're just gonna branch off for a bit, okay?"

Jones gave a confused nod, and the groups split apart. Harry's group raced up a stairway, Ginny giving a little gasp as it moved with them on it.

"Just a little further," Harry murmured, leading the way. The voice was practically shouting now, but still the others couldn't hear it.

…_RIP…TEAR…KILL…_

And then, just as soon as it had appeared, the voice went silent. Harry rounded the corner, expecting to see a hideous beast, but instead found a very stiff, motionless Mrs. Norris. And this time, Demelza Robbins' scream was very, _very_ real.

* * *

Oliver Wood and Percy Weasley were once again in the Headmistress' office. McGonagall paced back and forth as Flitwick frantically thumbed through an ancient text. Sinistra seemed a little less unhinged than the pair, drinking tea with shaking hands.

"Professor?" Percy began hesitantly.

All three adults grunted.

"Will Mrs. Norris be alright?"

"Eventually," Sinistra said. "This year, Professor Sprout is growing Mandrakes. Professor Snape will make the restorative draught as soon as the Mandrakes have matured, and Mrs. Norris should be fine."

"I just don't understand how it could have gotten through the school. I mean, we were bound to notice a Basilisk in the corridors," Flitwick muttered worriedly.

"It shouldn't have been awake in the first place. It hasn't caused us trouble all these years, but as soon as an ancient spell no one's ever even heard of is cast, it goes out and petrifies a cat?" Sinistra not-so-subtly glanced at Flitwick. "Sounds a little fishy."

"If you're implying that I performed the spell wrong, then may I remind you that you weren't too eager to cast it either," Flitwick retorted hotly.

"I truly hope you're not saying I'm a coward," Sinistra said icily. "Because we both know the only reason you did it is because Minerva said to."

McGonagall abruptly stopped pacing. "Enough! We already have a mountain of problems, we don't need to add fighting staff members to it," She declared firmly.

"So, do you think it's about time you admitted to needing help?" Oliver suggested slyly.

Percy groaned inwardly.

"Mr. Wood, you would do well to watch your tongue!" McGonagall snapped.

"What? Your efforts failed, we could help you! Even if we don't actually get out there, we could try just helping with theory," Oliver pleaded.

"Oh, well-" She was flustered. "I suppose."

"Great! What spell did you use?" Percy asked, getting down to business.

"Well, it's very difficult and old, very hard to find," Flitwick frowned.

"Try me," Percy challenged.

"The original copy was in runes, so I had to translate that. The spell is basically a way of preserving something. It's technically alive, but all of its organs are shut down," Flitwick explained.

Percy leaned forward in his seat, captivated. Oliver tried to copy his stance and look interested.

"The incantation is _interficio internus_."

"What's the wand movement?" Percy inquired curiously.

Flitwick cleared his throat. "Ah, well, I performed it wandless, so I didn't bother to learn."

"You do realize the potential repercussions of doing that with a spell you've never cast, for something so important?" Percy asked before catching himself. "I mean-That's not-I didn't-I'm sorry."

Flitwick slumped in his chair. "No, you're absolutely right," He moaned. "I don't know what I was thinking! So many things could've gone wrong."

"Something _has_ gone wrong," McGonagall pointed out. "What if next time, the Basilisk kills someone? Filch is already threatening to go to the Daily Prophet, but I've reminded him that his contract prevents him from doing so."

"What do you think you'll be able to do?" Sinistra directed her question at Percy and Oliver.

"We're gonna have to think on it for a few days. Don't wanna rush into anything," He added meaningfully.

All three professors scowled.

Percy stepped on Oliver's foot.

"One more thing, Headmistress," Percy mentioned. "It's about Harry."

She sat down at her desk. "You have my full attention."

"He-He _heard_ the Basilisk, and that's how we knew where it was."

Sinistra's eyebrows disappeared under her bangs.

McGonagall paused. "As usual, boys, nothing said here will leave this office. You are dismissed."

"Why do we even bother going in there?" Oliver wondered, frustrated. "Every time, we don't get all our questions answered."

"Isn't it obvious?" Percy asked, surprised. "Harry's a parselmouth. That was McGonagall's way of saying she won't tell anyone.

"How do you always manage to pick up this stuff I don't notice?"

Percy shrugged. "Y'know, you probably shouldn't have hinted you think they're incompetent."

Oliver snorted. "It's true."

* * *

Harry sat in the Common Room, alone. His friends had all tried to sit with them, but he hadn't said a word. He couldn't stop thinking about the voice. How could he hear it and no one else? At first, the voice had been very quiet, but just as they had reached Mrs. Norris, it had screamed. And what _was_ the voice? Harry couldn't help but think that if he hadn't told anyone where he was going, he might have spotted it.

It was stupid, he knew. He probably would've been killed by the voice, or at least end up like Mrs. Norris. But maybe, it would've worked out.

"Hey, Harry," Oliver interrupted the boy's brooding. "Listen, I've got a bunch of Quidditch tactics up in my dorm room."

"Okay," Harry said, not understanding why he was being told.

"You have to come see them," Oliver insisted. "You never know which one is secretly a Ravenclaw spy." His eyes jumped around the Common Room.

"Okay," Harry repeated. Oliver and Roger's feud had spread through the school like a wildfire. Strangely, all the Ravenclaws were on Oliver's side, while the Slytherins were staunch supporters of Roger. By now, Oliver was so paranoid he believed any Ravenclaw was really out to steal the cup.

Inside the sixth year boy dorms, Harry found not just the Quidditch team, but also Ron, Hermione, and Percy.

"Harry, this is an intervention," George informed him seriously. Angelina slapped him around the head.

Harry turned to leave only to find Oliver blocking the door.

"It's important that you hear this."

"Harry, that voice you heard? That was the Basilisk," Alicia started softly.

Harry could've slapped himself. Of course it was the Basilisk! How could he not realize that? But that meant that…

"You're a parselmouth, mate," Ron said weakly.

Harry swallowed. "I-I know," He told them. "I talked to a snake at the zoo once."

"Wicked!" Fred and George cheered. "Can you teach us?"

"Well, erm, I don't even really notice I'm speaking it. It all just sounds like English to me." He scanned all of their faces for any signs of disgust. He didn't find any.

"D'you think we could study that?" Percy asked eagerly.

Hermione and Katie nodded in agreement.

"Er, yeah, sure. You're not angry or scared of me?" Harry checked.

The twins scoffed. "As a scrawny little first year, we helped you with your trunk. Now, a year later, you're maybe an inch taller and still scrawny. It's gonna take a lot more than that to scare us."

"Harry, you're our friend. You were sorted into Gryffindor for a reason. Just because you're a parselmouth doesn't change that," Hermione said earnestly.

Harry took this all in, warmth filling his whole body. He had friends, friends who believed in him.

"Right," Oliver said gruffly. "Now that that's over, let's head out to the pitch."

The Quidditch team grumbled and complained.

"Hey, the match against Slytherin is tomorrow. You're lucky we haven't been practicing all day."

Of course, if they knew what Percy Weasley was planning on doing when they were gone, Oliver probably would've decided on no practice.

* * *

Roger Davies was angry. He had been angry for months now, ever since Ravenclaw won the Cup last year and it got swept under the rug. Slytherin would've won the House Cup, which Roger didn't particularly care about, but there had been a very small mention by the Headmaster about their win. And then Harry bloody Potter had to come in and "save the school" and then Gryffindor won the House Cup and suddenly no one cared about Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw, the team who had beaten the supposedly unbeatable team. It hadn't even been a close game, because the Ravenclaws were superior. They used their brains in the game, and they didn't get by on just dumb luck.

Wood's face after the match had been priceless. First he had been disbelieving, then he had been angry, and finally he had just given up. Roger had enjoyed it almost as much as the feel of the Quidditch Cup. Tomorrow was the Gryffindor Slytherin match, and Roger would be cheering for the snakes. And then, when Gryffindor had been thoroughly ashamed, at dinner, Roger would stand up to tell the school something very important.

No one would be expecting it. No one knew Roger had that tape. Roger wasn't sure what was even on the tape, because he wanted to wait until his big, shining moment. One thing _was_ for sure. No one would forget Roger Davies.


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: You guys are the best! I love how you all seem to really get into it. Makes me feel accomplished. Poll is officially closed. Just a tiny warning: if something really just doesn't work, I'm not going to keep that pairing and try and force it to fit in the story. If I haven't gotten back to you about your review yet, then I'm really sorry, and I'll try to get to you soon. Thanks, as usual, to the 395 favorites and 642 follows this story has somehow managed to achieve. A ton of thanks goes out to reviewers jodic, Narcissa Weasley, Cassandra30, serialkeller, Books are air, Majerus, ihaveasandbox, , Snowball1982, RRW, Makurayami Ookami, phoebe turner, Katzztar, Bananas-ofthe-WorldUNITE, Sunny-Donna, CrimsontheBloodyDemonKing, B00kw0rm92, Nikeya, serenityselena, Spring Raine, Kairan1979, Yana5, Lightningblade49, red-jacobson, and MariusDarkwolf. Yeesh! That list keeps getting longer and longer!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

Today's the day, was the thought running through more than a few minds. It was the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match, and the tension was so thick you could cut it with a slicing hex. Roger Davies smiled evilly. Oliver Wood mustered up his Gryffindor courage. Draco Malfoy smirked happily.

"Shake hands," Madam Hooch ordered. Oliver and Flint shook, the former trying not to show how badly it hurt. This was it. If they couldn't beat Slytherin, he may as well say goodbye to Puddlemere United.

Harry, meanwhile, was trying not to look at Malfoy. The blonde boy was gloating about their new brooms, and Harry thought he might just be sick. Oliver was counting on him to win this match. The keeper hadn't said anything out loud, but the whole team could tell Oliver was stressed.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and the fourteen players, half red and half green, set off. The Slytherins had an obvious advantage with their Nimbus 2001's. They literally flew rings around the lions, but everyone thought back to Oliver's speech. Harry was so focused on looking for the snitch that he almost didn't notice the Bludger heading straight for him until it was too late. He swerved out of the way at the last minute, and George whacked it to the other end of the pitch.

"Alright there, Harry?" George shouted over the wind.

Harry didn't have time to respond, for the Bludger was heading back.

"What the-" George muttered, diving in front of Harry to bat the Bludger back. It flew away, but once again aimed straight for Harry. George hit the ball yet again and communicated silently with his twin. Fred signaled to Oliver, who got the hint.

"And Gryffindor calls for a brief time out, they're currently in the lead, 10-0," Lee announced.

"What's going on?" Oliver asked, knuckles white from clutching his broom.

"Someone rigged the Bludger to follow Harry around," Fred told him angrily.

"That's impossible," Oliver frowned. "Those Bludgers and the rest of the equipment have been locked up in Hooch's office since practice last night."

"Somehow, someone got in and did something to them," George swore.

"We'll have to forfeit," Oliver said, downtrodden.

"No!" Harry shouted. The team was taken aback by his outburst.

"Harry, that thing could kill you," Alicia protested.

"I don't care," Harry lied stubbornly, heart hammering in his chest. "I'll just have to avoid it, s'all."

"You can't be serious," Katie said faintly.

Madam Hooch was fast approaching.

"Oliver, make him see sense," Angelina begged.

"Do you really want to do this?" Oliver asked, looking him straight in the eye. For a moment, Harry's throat closed up. _No_, he wanted to say. _No, I don't. I want to start it all over, be a boy who isn't Harry Potter, in some school without Draco Malfoy and people trying to kill me_.

But then he thought of his friends, how they stuck by him and stuck up for him, how much he had missed them over the summer, and how Oliver might just die if he couldn't get on the Puddlemere United team. And that made up his mind.

"Yes."

"George, cover Harry. Fred, help the others," Oliver instructed immediately. "Stay focused."

And then they were back in the air with a persistent Marcus Flint and an annoying Draco Malfoy. George flew insistently close to Harry, repeatedly smacking the rogue Bludger away as his twin tried to save all three chasers.

"Training for the ballet, Potter?" Malfoy jeered when Harry twirled in the air to confuse the Bludger. George hit it towards Malfoy, who smirked as it swiveled to hit Harry. Just at Harry opened his mouth to retort, he saw a flash of gold near the pale boy's ear. _The snitch_.

Harry got closer to the pale boy, hoping to confirm. There was no denying it; the snitch hovered right by Malfoy without him even knowing it. George hit the Bludger toward Malfoy again. This time, it got close enough to Malfoy that he had to dodge. Harry raced forward, closing his right hand around the fluttering ball.

"And Gryffindor has-" Lee shouted.

The Bludger slammed into Harry's right arm, prompting a sickening crack. He dropped the snitch and caught it with his left hand. But now he couldn't use his right arm, which meant he was only holding onto his broom with his legs. Fred flew over and whacked the Bludger. It seemed that Harry has upset Malfoy, who tried to attack him. George had prevented the second year from doing so, but that had given the Bludger a window of opportunity.

George tried to keep Harry from falling by grabbing his right arm. Harry let out a hiss of pain. He couldn't think, it hurt so badly.

"Gryffindor wins, 170-0!" Lee hollered over the speaker. "What a game! Even after the Slytherin team has bought new brooms and a very stubborn Bludger attacks Harry Potter, the lions win the first match of the season."

Oliver took the snitch from Harry and pulled him up by his left hand. Carefully, he and George guided him to lie on the ground, arm sticking out at a weird angle.

"Harry?" Hermione called frantically. "Harry, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three," Harry said groggily. "Hermione, my arm's hurt, not my head."

"Just making sure," She said doubtfully.

"Harry, dear boy. What appears to be the problem?"

"Oh no, not you," He groaned.

"Doesn't know what he's saying," Lockhart told the crowd. "Alright Harry, looks like you've got a broken arm. I know a very simple spell…"

Harry tried to roll over and get away from the pompous man, but his arm hurt too badly to move.

"Now hold still, Harry." Lockhart frivolously twirled his wand in a way that Harry was sure would accomplish nothing good.

His arm, starting at his shoulders and spreading down to his fingertips, felt as though it was being deflated. Everyone around him gasped and whispered.

"What the bloody hell did you do to him?" Ron fumed.

Colin's camera clicked at a furious pace.

"Well, sometimes that can happen," Lockhart blustered. "The important thing is that your bones are no longer broken. If you just make your way up to the Hospital Wing, I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will sort it out."

Harry looked down at his arm and felt rather light-headed all of a sudden. All of the bones in his arm were gone!

Oliver helped Harry up, shooting Lockhart a glare. "Sorry about that, Harry. I shouldn't have let him do anything."

"It's not your fault," Harry told him.

An official looking man beckoned to Oliver to come over. He glanced at Harry uncertainly, but the twins swooped in and took hold of the seeker.

"We've got him from here, Ollie," Fred said.

"Sorry I let that Bludger hit you," apologized George.

"It's not your fault," Harry repeated. "You were just trying to get Malfoy to leave me alone. Besides, Madam Pomfrey can fix me up, right?"

The twins traded scared looks. "Right."

* * *

"Mr. Wood, can I first congratulate you on your excellent game?" The wizard was going bald, but he seemed very jovial. He was slim and just a bit taller than Oliver, wearing expensive red and white robes.

"Thank you very much," Oliver could tell this was someone important.

"Is it true that you've been on the team since your second year?" The man asked eagerly.

"Yes, that's right." Oliver wondered what this was leading up to.

"What broom do you play on?" An Irish man in green and yellow robes spoke up to Oliver's right. He turned and saw a large group of men all watching him interestedly.

"Er, a Cleansweep six," Oliver replied.

"And you managed to keep any chasers from scoring, all of whom were on Nimbus 2001's?" This came from a heavyset man in pale blue and silver robes. All around Oliver, the men muttered, awestruck.

"Yes." Oliver was getting impatient.

The first man quickly intervened before any of the others. "Mr. Wood, my current Keeper is going to retire after two more seasons. I'm offering you a starting position as soon as you graduate."

"Hah!" A man wearing light green and scarlet striped robes scoffed. "I'll offer him starting position next season. He'll be the youngest player in Britain!"

The first man didn't like that. "Don't be ridiculous! He won't want to play for Gryffindor and Caerphilly at the same time, and he's not quitting Gryffindor. Mr. Wood, if you play for my team, I'll throw in a top of the line racing broom."

The other men began sulking; clearly, they couldn't compete with that offer.

Oliver didn't even notice the smile making its way across his face.

"The Wanderers would be lucky to have you, Mr. Wood."

"The Wanderers?" Oliver echoed, stupefied. _Of course_, he realized. The Wigtown Wanderers wore robes of red and silver. All of these guys wore their team's colors. He hurriedly looked over the others, searching for the blue and yellow Puddlemere robes.

The scouts perked up; obviously the boy had his heart set on a certain team. But his eyes moved away from the gray and white Falmouth Falcons, and he didn't seem drawn to the black and red Ballycastle Bats.

"Which one are you looking for, son?" Ragmar Dorkins, the Chudley Cannons manager, asked kindly. He knew he wouldn't have gotten the boy anyway. For one thing, no one wanted to be on the Cannons. For another, Ragmar was sure that after one season, he wouldn't be able to afford Wood anymore.

"Er," He flushed at being caught. "Puddlemere United," He admitted.

Christopher Durham of the Wimbourne Wasps snorted. "Kid, Puddlemere doesn't scout at Hogwarts. They're _too good_ for that," He sneered.

Oliver's mind reeled. No Puddlemere? But that was impossible! How could he not know that? _Take_ _the best offer!_ His mother's voice screamed at him in his head. She had always said he'd be lucky if he got signed to the Chudley Cannons. She'd be furious if she found out he'd thrown away all these offers just for a shot at Puddlemere.

But his father would've understood. Tristan Wood had been an avid Puddlemere fan, and he'd taught his son everything there was to know about the sport and the team. Tristan had been a broom tester for Cleansweep, and something had gone wrong with the Cleansweep five. Tristan had died the summer Oliver received his captain badge. He had vowed to make it on to Puddlemere, for his dad.

"And that's where you're wrong, Christopher," A deep voice said from behind Oliver. "I do come to games here at Hogwarts, but only when it's worth my time to do so."

Oliver spun around to find Philbert Deverill, manager of Puddlemere United, dressed in blue and yellow robes, smiling down at him.

* * *

Harry was having one of the best nights of his life. After some convincing from McGonagall, Pomphrey let almost the whole of Gryffindor stay with him in the Hospital Wing. The only ones missing were Percy Weasley and Oliver Wood. Even Ginny had showed up! She and Colin sat talking, with the girl occasionally looking over at Harry and blushing.

"Hey Ron," Harry whispered to his friend.

"Yeah?" Ron said, mouth full of chocolate frog.

"Ginny doesn't seem to hate me anymore."

"Yeah. I might've had something to do with that," Ron shuffled his feet.

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked.

"I didn't give away anything!" Ron promised. "I just told her that the diary was really dark, and that you saved her from something really bad."

"That I _saved_ her?" Harry hissed.

"It's true," Ron shrugged. "Besides, she likes you a whole lot more now. She and Colin are even starting up a Harry Potter fan club."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Harry groaned.

"You guys!" Oliver Wood shouted as he burst in through the Hospital Wing doors.

Madam Pomfrey bustled out. "Mr. Wood, if you can't be quiet-"

"Pomfrey!" Oliver shouted as he hugged her. "Thanks so much for healing all of my players, getting them right back out in the game. I know you'll always be able to heal them!" She froze in shock. "Harry is gonna be okay, right?" He pulled back.

"Y-Yes, of course," She said. He hugged her again. "That's great!"

He let go and sat on the empty bed next to Harry, grinning wildly.

"Um, Oliver?" Alicia began. "I know you're happy when we win games, and you're really happy when we win games against Slytherin, but I've never seen you _this_ happy."

"In other words," Fred said.

"What gives, Ollie?" George questioned.

"Well, am I glad you asked. You see, I've just been signed to Puddlemere United."

The reaction was instantaneous.

"Oh Merlin!"

"What?!"

"That's amazing!"

"Congratulations!"

"How?"

Oliver sat there, soaking in the praise. "Every team 'cept the Holyhead Harpies was there, but I couldn't find Puddlemere. All of the managers were asking me stuff and trying to get me on their team, but I was holding out for Puddlemere. And then, Philbert Deverill shows up and says he only goes to games when he thinks they're important, and that he'd like to have me on the team. After I graduate, I'll be on the reserve for a year, and then I'll be on the team for real!"

"What did I miss?" Percy thought aloud as he strode into the Hospital Wing.

"Oliver got signed to Puddlemere United!" Lee announced.

"Seriously? That's awesome!" Percy congratulated Oliver.

"But that's not the most important part," Oliver said slyly.

"What's more important than finding out you're gonna be a professional Quidditch player?" Percy frowned.

"Finding out who you were snogging out by the library," Oliver replied smugly.

Percy flushed a dark red as the lions laughed.


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: I don't know if you guys remember this, but I mentioned something about posting the outtakes for this story. Well, the first one is up, and another should be coming soon, so check it out! It took me a while to get this one out, so I'm sorry to my shocking 423 favorites and 665 followers. Really, I have no idea how this story has gotten so big so fast. Special thanks goes out to reviewers DustBunnyQueen, Narcissa-Weasly, phoebe turner, tumshie, Cosmyk Angel, ihaveasandbox, serenityselena, red-jacobson, Cassandra30, Makurayami Ookami, RRW, SmolderingJade, ptl4ever419, Guest, serialkeller, Marius Darkwolf, Yana5, Majerus, Spring Raine, Kairan1979, agnar, B00wk0rm92, Lighningblade49, and JannaKalderash. You guys keep me focused.**

**Also, shout-out to the person who suggested our Transfiguration professor.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

Harry Potter was miserable. Madam Pomfrey had kicked out his friends because they should be back in the Common Room, which meant that he was all alone in the dark, depressing Hospital Wing. He tossed and turned in his bed for hours, but he couldn't get to sleep. His eyelids were just starting to feel heavy when he felt a strange sensation on his forehead.

Slowly, he opened his eyes to find a familiar creature with bat-like ears and tennis ball eyes. "Dobby!"

The house-elf scrambled backwards and watched Harry, a lone tear making its way down his long, pointy nose. "Harry Potter came back to Hogwarts. Dobby warned Harry Potter, but Harry Potter still came!" He wailed.

"Dobby, listen to me. I'm fine, I'm safe from danger, no one's gonna hurt me…well, except for whoever cursed that Bludger, but that's beside the point."

Dobby's lower lip trembled. "Dobby was not trying to kill Harry Potter with his bludger."

"_Your_ bludger?" Harry exclaimed, outraged. "What d'you mean, _your_ bludger? And if you weren't trying to kill me, what were you trying to do?"

"Dobby was just trying to hurt Harry Potter enough to make Harry Potter go home!" Dobby clawed at Harry's sheets and looked up at him beseechingly.

"Oh, right, because that's so much better," Harry muttered sarcastically. "Look Dobby, the diary has been destroyed. Everything's fine."

Dobby shook his head, large ears flapping comically. "Harry Potter does not understand! The Chamber of Secrets has been opened-"

"The Chamber of Secrets?" Harry repeated. "Dobby, what do you know about it? Everything is so messed up now…"

Dobby opened his mouth to speak before hearing footsteps. "Dobby must go."

McGonagall and Sinistra quietly carried what appeared to be a statue into the Hospital Wing. Burbage was there too, whispering reassuring words to a pair of Gryffindor girls. Carefully, the statue was heaved onto a bed, and Flitwick (whom Harry hadn't noticed) scurried off to fetch Madam Pomfrey.

"What happened?" The elderly medi-witch whispered as she bent over the statue.

"Another attack," McGonagall replied hoarsely. "He, Robbins, and Weasley were coming up to visit Potter. He forgot his camera and ran off to get it. The girls became worried when he never came back, and found him like this. They're both going to need Dreamless Sleep Potion, and Robbins will need a Calming Draught as well."

Slowly, Harry turned his head and propped himself up to see the motionless form of Colin Creevey several beds away. Demelza seemed to be in shock, hardly moving. Ginny was more aware, but nonetheless spooked. She caught Harry looking over, and he frantically shook his head. She blinked in surprise before turning away. The Calming Draught put a bit of color back in Demelza's cheeks, and Burbage escorted them back to the Common Room.

"Minerva?" Sinistra started hesitantly. "What are we going to do?"

"Track it down and kill it, of course," McGonagall said matter-of-factly. "I won't have it terrorizing the students. We'll have to get someone from St. Mungo's out here to check out the girls. Merlin knows what kind of damage they've sustained."

"Excuse me Minerva, but I'm qualified to heal any injury," Madam Pomfrey huffed.

"Any physical injury, yes, but I'm considering something more along the lines of mental scarring. That's the very worst kind, you know."

* * *

"I don't understand. Why are we having a meeting?" Ginny asked, bewildered. All five Weasleys currently attending Hogwarts were gathered in the sixth year boys' dormitory. Oliver was off doing some sort of promotion for Puddlemere United.

"We just want to let you know that you shouldn't be going out after curfew, s'all," Fred said nonchalantly.

"You and George do it all the time," Ginny pointed out. "Besides, do you really think that whatever hurt Colin is going to care about curfew?"

"All we're saying is that it's better to be safe than sorry," Percy claimed.

"Is Colin going to be okay?" Ginny whispered.

"Yeah, he will be. It'll take a while, though," Ron rubbed the back of his neck.

"Do you know then? Do you know what did that to him?"

"No," The twins and Percy said.

"Yes," Ron admitted.

"What is it?" Ginny bounced up and down on Oliver's bed. "Is it a dragon?" She guessed.

"No."

"Is it a werewolf?"

"No."

"Is it a vampire?"

"No."

"Is it a centaur?"

"No."

"Is it a snake?"

They paused. "No."

"Aww, man. I really thought I had it that time. A Chimera?"

As she continued to pester her brothers, Ginny's mind raced with the information. So, some form of snake had attacked Colin? But what snake wouldn't have just eaten him? One thing was for sure. The Harry Potter Fan Club was on the case, and they wouldn't rest until they knew what had incapacitated their vice president.

* * *

"You know Minerva, it really is quite early for a staff meeting," Lockhart yawned.

"You know Gilderoy, it is ten o' clock on a Sunday, I am the Headmistress, and this is an emergency," McGonagall replied sweetly.

He stretched and grumbled a bit. Once again, the teachers were gathered in the staff room, and truth be told, Minerva was getting tired of looking at all of their faces. She had called Hagrid and Filch to the meeting as well. She was expecting outbursts from both of them, but she could handle it.

"Now, the first order of business is that a Transfiguration professor has finally been found. Andromeda Tonks will be arriving Saturday, and I expect you all to make her feel welcome," McGonagall said firmly.

"Would this Andromeda Tonks once have been Andromeda Black?" Flitwick asked skeptically.

"The very same," McGonagall confirmed. "Onto more important things. The Basilisk has petrified Colin Creevey."

Burbage looked ready to cry.

"And my Mrs. Norris," Filch was quick to add.

McGonagall sighed heavily. "Yes, Argus. We need to track down the Basilisk and kill it, before it can harm any more students."

Hagrid whimpered, but agreed. "That kind o' creature is dangerous. Even an experienced handler like me wouldn't be able ter tame it."

"The only problem is, we can't find it," Sprout objected.

This perked Lockhart up considerably. "I'll track it down. It'll be just like my adventures in Year with the Yeti. I'll perform a complex tracking spell, and I'll even finish it off-"

"_You_ will not be casting _any_ spells, not after what you did to Harry Potter. No, we'll get someone who actually knows what end of a wand to use," McGonagall hissed warningly.

Hagrid's booming laughter bounced off walls. Flitwick laughed so hard he fell off the stack of books he stood on. Even Snape allowed himself a small smile!

"There must be some sort of place the Basilisk stays so that it's out of sight," Sinistra observed. "But where?"

"A good question. Professor Binns, do you have any ideas-" McGonagall stopped upon seeing his empty seat. "Where is he?"

Everyone glanced around the table and shrugged.

She sighed again. "Filius, can you please go get him for me? The rest of you are dismissed. I have someone in mind to talk to about the Basilisk."

* * *

Giggles came from the second year Gryffindor girls' dormitory. Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, and Hermione Granger sat in circle on the floor, carefully French braiding each other's hair. Parvati had used a ton of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion on Hermione's hair, and it appeared to be working. The girls whispered back and forth about anything and everything.

_Is this what it feels like to be friends with girls_? Hermione thought. It wasn't as bad as she had thought it would be. Or rather, as bad as she had tried to convince herself it would be. Back home in Liverpool, she had no friends, and she had lied to her parents about it, because she didn't want them to know. She didn't want them to find out that she sat by herself at lunch, that she hid in the library during recess, that no one wanted to be her partner for projects. Every day, Hermione would come home, do her homework, and cry in the guest bath.

She told them her friends' names, girls who really just hated her. The girls were always worse than the boys. The boys at least were honest and straight-forward about their dislike for her bushy hair, buckteeth, and know-it-all attitude. But the girls would be sneaky about it.

They'd lie and smile and call you pretty. They'd invite you to birthday parties and days at the mall, where you'd be on the outside and they wouldn't talk to you. You'd be drawn in with a false sense of security and before you knew it, you were crying in toilet stalls. Then and there, Hermione had sworn off girls for good. You knew where you stood with boys, and that was what Hermione needed.

But Lavender and Parvati were different. They didn't make thinly-veiled half-insults half-compliments, and they didn't whisper nasty things about her. Hermione still had her guard partially up, but she felt something unique with these girls. Something akin to hope blossomed in her heart.

"All done," Parvati announced happily. Hermione's hair had taken the longest, but the girls didn't judge. They all stood and squealed before rushing over to the mirror. Hermione felt odd; she didn't normally squeal. But it seemed right, so she shrugged it off.

"Oooh, Hermione, you look the best!" Lavender shrieked, jumping up and down.

Hermione just stared at herself in the mirror. She did look nice, but Hermione didn't think it was all just from the hair. No, she felt prettier on the inside than she looked on the outside.

"I guess I do," Hermione replied, stunned.

"We should do manicures," Parvati suggested.

"Oh my gosh, that would be amazing! We could do pedicures, too. Magical nail polish is so much cooler than the muggle stuff," Lavender blabbered on. "Oh Hermione, I still have to give you that makeover! Don't worry, I've done it before…"

Hermione was no longer really listening. Instead, she was replaying one thought over and over in her mind.

_Lavender and Parvati are my friends_.

* * *

"Hello Professor Binns," Minerva greeted the ghost nervously. She was unsure how he was going to take this news. Could ghosts hurt people?

"Hello, Headmistress." Minerva wondered if he even knew her name. She doubted it.

"I have a very important issue to discuss with you. I'm afraid the Chamber of Secrets has been re-opened."

Binns blinked dazedly. "Re-opened? It was never open to begin with. The Chamber of Secrets is a myth. It has never been found, and it's certainly never been opened."

"Professor Binns, the Chamber was opened in 1943. A young girl was even killed! And now, it has been opened once more. Initially, I called you into my office to see if you have any idea where it might be. But I see I was incorrect," She said.

"This entire school has been searched multiple times, and the Chamber of Secrets has not been located. There are absolutely no facts to support its existence," He insisted.

"Okay, thank you," Minerva acquiesced, knowing it was pointless to continue to argue. Now came the part she had been dreading.

"Professor Binns, I was wondering if you could tell me what year it is?"

He craned his neck around to try and see the empty slot for Dumbledore's portrait, but she quickly moved to block his view. He paused, trying to work it out.

"It is 19…59?" He attempted.

"Professor Binns, it is 1992. I'm sorry, but…you do know you're a ghost?"

"Of course." He seemed affronted. "I've been a ghost for several decades now, and I tell you it's an amazing thing! I can still go one with my old life, and things are exactly the same!"

For a moment, Binns' voice took on a tone completely opposite of his usual wheezing. He sounded as though he truly enjoyed where he was at, and Minerva felt immensely guilty for what she was about to do. Please, please, don't cry, she prayed.

"Professor Binns, I'm very, very sorry about this, but um, teaching as a ghost for forever isn't exactly the best idea," She explained gently.

Binns understood immediately. "You want me to stop teaching? Albert Dresden never would've made me quit."

Minerva lost her patience quickly. "Yes, well, you may have noticed that I'm not Albus Dumbledore!"

He merely smiled at her. "That's a good thing, in my opinion. Alcon was always very afraid of change. You'll do great things with this school. I believe you now have the right to call me Cuthbert."

"Alright then…Cuthbert," She smiled hesitantly at him. "Could you please bring in Sybil Trelawney, the Divinations professor, to my office?"

He gave a little bow. "Of course…Minerva."

* * *

"Alright, alright, everyone needs to calm down!" Ginny Weasley, president and co-founder of the Official Harry Potter Fan Club, ordered to a noisy, crowded room full of first years. The whole first year of Gryffindor was there, along with Ravenclaws Luna Lovegood and Stuart Bradley, and Hufflepuffs Sheila MacDuff, Michael Cadwallader, and Henry Stebbins. The club had even managed to acquire a Slytherin, Malcolm Baddock, but Secretary Demelza Robbins had advised Ginny not to share any sensitive information with him. The club was planning to reach out to second years and up, once they were all a bit less afraid of the older kids.

The ickle firsties were in an uproar over what had happened to their beloved vice president, Colin Creevey. To make matters worse, he had been conduction official club business. What sort of monster would attack a good person on a pilgrimage to Harry Potter?

"Now, of course, we all need to just remain calm. I started the early stages of an investigation just this morning, and we already have a lead. It appears as though some form of snake attacked Colin. Malcolm, do you have any ideas?" She said pointedly.

He groaned. "Ginny, how many times do I have to tell you that we don't perform secret rituals involving snakes in Slytherin?"

"Likely story," Demelza scoffed. "I know you snakes are up to something." Her eyes narrowed.

"Permission to speak, Madam President?" Luna stood. The Harry Potter Fan Club had really helped her make a lot of friends. The people admired her insight, and they complimented her intelligence quite frequently. It made Luna happy again.

"Permission granted," Ginny spoke clearly.

"Wouldn't it be a good idea to examine Colin further, so we may be able to eliminate some possibilities?"

Every firstie in the room considered this and burst into cheers.

"That's an excellent idea, Luna! In fact, why don't we just go right now? We can tell Colin how much we all miss him, and who knows? Harry Potter himself might still be there."

* * *

Minerva never, ever would've thought she'd be feeling sympathetic towards Sybil Trelawney. The woman was a complete utter fraud in a profession ridden with crackpots. Then again, Minerva did always have a weakness for tears. Honestly she hadn't even delivered the bad news yet and the woman was bawling.

"There, there, Sybil," She consoled Trelawney and patted a frail, bony arm. "I'm sure you can find another job." Actually, Minerva wasn't sure what jobs there were for so-called Seers. Trelawney thought herself above the fortune teller life style, and she certainly wasn't smart enough to work at the Ministry. Even the incompetent fools there had standards!

"I-I-I Saw this coming, but I just didn't know wh-when. I thought I had more time," She wailed.

Minerva truly did feel sorry for the younger woman. Sybil had had her fair share of personal tragedies, and life hadn't been easy. But what was she supposed to do? Just let a phony teach?

"Sybil, when exactly did you see this happening?" She asked.

"Right after the meeting," Sybil hiccupped softly, her whole body quivering.

"How peculiar. Right after the meeting is precisely when I made this decision," Minerva mused.

"W-What-hic!-What do you mean?"

"Could it be that you can't see what is destiny, but only what is already going to happen? The idea that your fate is pre-determined is what fuelled my dislike for Divination."

Trelawney's eyes lit up. "Yes! Perhaps I have just been studying the wrong branch. My current field is useless to those who do not possess the Inner Eye. If I switch to a different branch, one much more accessible to your average wizard, my class will be highly successful! That is, if I still have a class?" She gazed up a Minerva with trepidation.

"Well, I-I suppose," Minerva said in defeat. It wasn't really Sybil's fault; the woman truly thought she was a Seer.

"Oh, thank you!" Sybil clutched at Minerva's hands.

"Yes, you're welcome. Would you be willing to get Lockhart for me?"

* * *

The Harry Potter Fan Club cut an imposing figure (or so they liked to think) as they marched to the third floor. Nothing could stop them from reaching one of their own. Earlier, Bailey Ryker had written a short speech full of good things about Colin. He would read it aloud, in the hopes that Colin could hear them. Demelza was certain that Colin would wake up, but Ginny wasn't so sure.

Stuart had taken the lead as they moved, but once they reached the doors of the Hospital Wing, he gracefully bowed out. Ginny put her hands on the brass handles, pausing for dramatic effect. She pulled and the doors sprang open to reveal-

Sheila gasped. Harry Potter stood there, in all of his glory, leaning over Colin. He glanced up to find a bunch of first years, led by Ginny Weasley, staring at him as though he were Merlin himself.

"Hi Harry," Ginny let out a weak giggle-chuckle thing that scared Harry. "We'll just head out now. Don't wanna disturb you."

"No, no, it's okay. I don't mind," Harry said, earning himself more adoring looks.

"We're just here to visit Colin," Luna told him, gliding toward the boy on the bed.

"I didn't realize Colin had so many friends," He mumbled, taking them all in.

"Excuse me! Sorry! Oh, please move! Thank you very much!" Harry recognized Hermione's voice, but he couldn't spot her bushy brown hair in the throng of first years.

"Harry!" She exclaimed, rushing over to him. For a moment, it looked like she was about to hug him, but she changed her mind. "Why didn't you come let us know you were okay? I-_we_ were so worried about you," She chastised.

_Well, that explains it. Hermione had her hair pulled back_. He cleared his throat. "I was visiting Colin," He said simply.

"Oh, no," She breathed, looking down at the boy. "Where's his camera?" She frowned.

"He forgot it and went back. That's how we got separated," Demelza said.

Harry and Hermione seemed deep in some silent conversation. Finally, they nodded and made to leave.

"Wait! Do you know what kind of snake did this to him?"

"Snake?" Harry repeated, dumbfound.

"Why would you think it was a snake?" Hermione said in a high-pitched voice.

The two fled the Hospital Wing at full speed.

"That wasn't at all suspicious," Malcolm Baddock muttered.

"They just need to know that they can trust us. And I know just how we can do it," Ginny said.

* * *

"Hello Minerva," Lockhart said, sweating.

McGonagall grimaced. "Hello Gilderoy. I think you know why you're here."

"Yes, yes, I-Well now Minerva, everyone makes mistakes from time to time-"

"Yes, but the difference between their mistakes and your mistakes is that your mistakes almost cost a young boy his life!" She barked.

He fidgeted uncomfortably. "Have a little more confidence-"

"I have absolutely no confidence in you, unless it's confidence that you're a liar."

"What?" He whispered brokenly.

"I know you obliviated all those people out there who actually did do these things. I know you can't even cast a Stupefy. I know that all of the students you're teaching this year won't learn a thing." She leaned in close to him. "I also know that being fired isn't good for your reputation."

"Minerva, I-I swear I will do anything to keep this job. Anything!" He begged.

"Normally, I would just fire you on the spot, but I know that would just create too many problems. Even an idiot like you wouldn't want to take a "cursed" position in the middle of term."

He squirmed and she smirked.

"So, I have a few conditions. First, you will issue a formal apology to Harry Potter in the Great Hall tomorrow night."

He nodded desperately. "I'll get right on it."

"But that's not all. You will write out your lesson plans and submit them to me. I will make any adjustments that I feel are necessary. You will stick to these lesson plans, and I will be dropping by your classroom from time to time to ensure that you do." Lockhart seemed about ready to start hyperventilating, but he held it together. Barely.

"Lastly, and this is the most important, you will not cast spells on any students except for teaching purposes, and unless it is in the lesson plans. Do you understand?"

He shook fearfully and nodded.

"Good. Now, you will be leaving the school forever once the year is over. You are dismissed."

He ran out with his tail between his legs.

Dilys Derwent, former Headmistress of Hogwarts, was not happy. "Really Minerva, he was so handsome."

"Really? I prefer darker hair myself."


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: I am so, so, sorry! I couldn't come up with any good ideas for about a week. Then, when I finally had something swirling around in my head, the internet shut down. For two whole weeks! On the other hand, it did give me more time to write and edit this chapter. Thanks as usual to my insane 695 followers and 447 favorites. Super special thanks to reviewers HellsMaji, mdauben, tylxor1, Badgedbadger, lilmisdiva, Thinker90, phoebe turner, Spring Raine, Cosmyk Angel, Firenze Fox, Kairan1979, Majerus, CelestialRyuu, Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER, B00kw0rm92, serenityselena, DanceThroughMyStory, Makurayami Ookami, Uncreativenamethinker, Cassandra30, Yana5, RRW, serialkeller, Lightningblade49, Guest, and red-jacobson. Apologies for not being able to respond to all of them. Just a warning: this chapter contains the Weasley boys being unable to deal with girls. And some of you will be supremely irritated by one character's actions in this story. Just remember this: if we were all brave and good and loyal, the world would be a very boring place. And hooray! I finally surpassed 50,000 words. Thanks again! Before I forget, who would you like for History professor?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

"Why'd you bring her along?" Oliver whined. He, Percy, and Penelope Clearwater were standing in the second floor corridor, about to embark on what Oliver considered a top secret mission. It was only intended to be the two boys, but Percy had been unable to lie to Penny, and the copper-haired girl joined them.

"Don't worry," Percy whispered, shooting furtive glances at his not-quite-girlfriend. "We can trust her."

Oliver looked at the Ravenclaw dubiously. Penelope had vibrant blue eyes and impossibly curly hair, along with a brilliant mind. But at 5'2 with a fragile, stick thin figure, she didn't look all that helpful. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Percy declared decisively. Penny was the girl of his dreams, with an ethical code nearly identical to his own. The only difference was her odd affinity for animals. Percy had never been overly fond of Scabbers, and Hermes was mainly a messenger. He had already told her the majority of what was to come.

"So where are we going?" Penny asked shyly. Oliver barreled ahead, face set in a grim scowl. Percy sidled up next to her and hesitantly took her hand in his.

"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," he replied, giving her hand a little squeeze. Either she didn't notice or she didn't mind. Percy found himself sorely wishing for the latter.

"Is it because of that snake on the faucet?" She wondered.

Oliver rolled his eyes. "With deduction skills like that, it's no wonder you were placed in Ravenclaw," he murmured sarcastically. This girl was supposed to _help_ them?

"I-I-I don't know, Percy," She said, involuntarily taking a step back. "The Chamber of Secrets is Slytherin's private quarters. He wasn't very friendly to people like me," She pleaded.

"People like you?" Oliver repeated blankly.

"Y'know," She swallowed nervously. "Muggleborns."

An awkward silence followed, and Penny began to wonder if she shouldn't have said anything.

"Here, we'll just open it up and then leave and tell a teacher. If it doesn't open up, we had nothing to worry about all along," Percy said casually, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "Sound good?"

She nodded, leaning into him.

But the spout refused to budge. Penny even threw out a few spells the boys had never heard of, but nothing worked.

"Should've known," Oliver cursed angrily. "Figures Slytherin would have his spooky secret chamber sealed tight." He kicked the sink.

"So this means we can leave now, right?" Penny asked, edging towards the door. Even with Percy's promise, her stomach was tied up in knots.

"Not yet. There's got to be another way," Percy frowned, walking around the sinks.

The door burst open, and if it had been a professor, Percy would never have lived down the embarrassment of being caught in the girl's loo. Luckily, it was Harry and Hermione. The two second years appeared out of breath and concerned.

"Finally!" Hermione gasped. "We…found you…now."

"You know…what would…help? If…the castle…were smaller," Harry wheezed.

"Yeah, but…then it wouldn't…be as magical," Hermione pointed out.

Harry considered this. "That's probably…true."

"Why were you looking for us?" Percy asked.

Harry and Hermione slid down the wall to sit on the floor.

"Colin's been…petrified," Hermione explained.

"Who's Colin?" Penny spoke up.

The two gave a start, not realizing she was there. "Colin Creevey…first year…camera…really annoying."

"Harry," Hermione scolded, giving him a half-hearted swat.

He ducked his head. "Okay, so he's…not that bad," He clutched his side and groaned.

"Merlin, you two are out of shape," Oliver remarked. He received twin glares in response.

"Was Colin, um, was he muggleborn?" Penny asked.

"Yeah, why?" Harry asked, confused.

Her face contorted. "I should really leave now, I think-"

"Where are you going?" Oliver called.

"I-I just-" She cast an anxious look back at the spout with the snake. "I don't think it's safe for me to stay here."

"Because you're muggleborn?" Oliver snorted. "Hermione's staying, and she's muggleborn."

Hermione looked uncomfortable at being made the subject of the conversation.

"Yes, but I'm not like her, or like any of you, really. I can't—I'm not brave. This is just too scary. I'm not a Gryffindor, I'm a Ravenclaw. Ravenclaws use their common sense, and right now common sense is telling me to get out!" She screamed hysterically, tears running down her face.

"Penny-" Percy reached out to her.

"No!" She held up her hands protectively. Percy looked stricken. "I'm sorry Percy, I'm sorry. I just—I can't—I can't help you anymore." She hurried away, rubbing at her eyes.

Myrtle came out of her toilet, yawning. "What is all that noise? It's awfully hard to sleep with people screaming."

"I didn't know ghosts slept," Harry said.

Myrtle's face twisted into an ugly sneer. "Of course you didn't. No one ever thinks of us ghosts, do they? Especially not ugly old Myrtle!" She let out a sob and flew back into her toilet. Percy was rooted to the spot, transfixed.

"Percy? Do you think Penelope will tell anyone?" Hermione asked.

"She won't," He replied immediately. "Even if she won't help us, she won't do anything to hurt us either. We should really get back to the chamber." Percy looked lost, as if he weren't quite sure what to do next.

"But it won't open," Oliver replied.

"It won't open by force, maybe," Hermione said, standing up and beginning to pace. "Slytherin couldn't let just anyone in. It would have to be someone he trusted, someone he believed would never reveal his secrets…"

An idea struck Harry. "Dudley used to have a tree house for him and his friends out back. They got too big for it really fast, but I remember Dudley would make his friends give a password before they could get in." He stood and walked closer to the sink.

"But what password would he choose?" Percy pondered.

"Oh, great Salazar Slytherin?" Oliver suggested. "No? How 'bout snakes are the best?"

"It's probably in Gaelic or Latin, or another dead language," Hermione fretted. "How are we going to figure it out?"

"That's it!" Percy snapped his fingers. "The password isn't in English! It's in another language-"

"A language Salazar Slytherin could speak, along with people he really, truly trusted." Hermione nodded, comprehension dawning on her.

"Are you getting any of this?" Oliver asked Harry skeptically.

Harry shook his head mutely.

Percy and Hermione gave identical sighs of exasperation. "Slytherin was a parselmouth. Legend says only his descendants could speak Parseltongue, and family is insanely important to Slytherins. He would have trusted them with everything, so it stands to reason that the password is in Parseltongue."

Oliver furrowed his brow. "And the only parselmouth we know just so happens to be in this very room."

Harry flushed as all eyes turned on him. "I-I dunno what the password is."

"Maybe it won't matter," Percy shrugged. "Maybe the magic just needs to identify that you're an honest-to-Merlin parselmouth."

"Can't hurt to try," Oliver said noncommittally.

"Please, Harry?" Hermione whispered, her eyes growing wide.

He felt his resolve crumbling. "Okay." _What if I can't do it? What if I mess up?_ "Open," He attempted to hiss.

"You're still speaking English," Percy told him.

"Open," He tried again. Hermione's face fell.

"Open," He repeated, growing frustrated.

"You sure you're a parselmouth?" Oliver asked.

Harry's blood boiled. He was completely sure; he knew he could talk to snakes. How else could the vanishing glass be explained?

"Open!" He shouted angrily.

The stone grinded, shifting through the sink. It slowly opened, and Myrtle flew out of her toilet bowl again to investigate. "What's going on out here?"

Three of the kids tried to find a polite way to respond to that, but Oliver chose to speak his mind.

"Something that has nothing to do with you," He said flatly.

Myrtle huffed. "Well, I never," She snapped, soaring away.

"Great, she's gone. Now let's do some exploring." Oliver rubbed his hands together.

"No." Percy said firmly. "I already told you we'd go tell a teacher."

"What?" Oliver exclaimed. "I thought you were only saying that because _she_ was with us!"

"Going down into a secret chamber with no back up against a basilisk is one of the stupidest ideas I've ever heard, and I live with Ron," Percy scoffed. "You and I will go tell McGonagall about this, while Harry and Hermione go to lunch and act as if nothing is wrong. No one can know about the basilisk. Got it?" He ordered.

* * *

"Ow!" Angelina shrieked as she dropped her thick History of Magic book on her foot. George made to pick it up, but a tall, lanky, bronze-haired Hufflepuff got there first.

"Here you go. Are you alright?" He said kindly. George wanted to punch him

"Oh yes, I'm fine. Thanks you so much for picking it up," Angelina batted her eyelashes coquettishly.

"No problem," He flashed a broad smile at her. George's hand twitched towards his wand.

"Hey listen, you know how there's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up?"

"Yes?" She leaned in a little closer.

"Well, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go with me? Y'know, like on a date," Cedric asked confidently.

"I would love to," She replied, putting a gentle hand on his arm.

"Great! How about you meet me in the Great Hall at eleven?"

"Sounds good to me," She said cheerfully.

"Okay, see you later Angie!" And he dashed away to catch up with his friends.

"Bye Cedric!" She called after him. George's jaw clenched. He was the only one allowed to call her Angie! Not that bloody Hufflepuff. And Angelina seemed to like it too, because she gave a small girlish sigh and clasped the book to her chest.

"Oh, hey Fred! Where's George?" She said upon spying him lurking in the corner. He felt a stab of pain in his chest; sure they were identical twins, but shouldn't Angelina be able to tell them apart by now? He decided to keep up the little charade.

"My brother's off trying to romance Alicia," He said honestly. Fred really was about to ask Alicia out. The twins had decided to do it at the same time, together, just like they did everything. But now George was going to be alone for the weekend.

"Oh. Tell him to have fun," She chirped. There was not a single hint of jealousy in her face, and George felt discouraged. Had he imagined all of her adoring looks his way? Had their relaxed flirting meant more to him than it had to her? Had she perhaps never been able to tell him apart from his brother? Alicia always could. She always knew which was which. It was what Fred had initially been drawn too. George also thought it was cool. Because even when you're a twin, you want to be your own person.

* * *

"Hey Alicia," Fred swung himself over the side of a couch in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Fred," She met him frostily.

"You're not still upset over Halloween, are you? It's almost Christmas!"

"I don't care," She sniffed, turning away.

"Come on Alicia. I said I was sorry," He pleaded with her.

"You don't even know what you did wrong," She snapped, pointing a finger at him accusingly. "You think it's perfectly fine to go around spreading people's secrets, making fun of them!"

"It wasn't that bad," He denied.

"Yes it was! Ugh, you know what? I'm tired of you, Fred Weasley!" She abruptly stood and stormed out of the Common Room.

"Wait, Alicia!" Fred jogged after her. "Alicia I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Yes you did!" She shrieked, whirling around. He was surprised to see her crying. "You knew exactly what you were doing. You justified it by saying that it was only Filch. Well guess what? Filch is a person too! You may not like him, but he's just another guy who happens to not have any magic. You wouldn't be acting this way if it were someone you liked!" She burst out.

"Alicia, are-are you okay?" He asked.

"Of course I-I a-a-am," She blubbered.

"Oh, Alicia," He drew her into a hug. She sobbed in his arms, trying to talk before collapsing into tears again. He rubbed her back soothingly. Dealing with Ginny had given Fred years of comforting experience. "Wanna tell me what's wrong?"

"It's um…it's my brother Marshall. He's a squib. I mean, I knew he probably was, because he never had any accidental magic, but I was still hoping. This past summer, he was supposed to get his Hogwarts letter, but it never came." She scrubbed at her eyes.

"I didn't really care that much; he's still my brother. But Marshall was devastated. None of his friends would play with him anymore. And Gryffindor's always called the non-biased house, but everyone still treats squibs like they're dirt. And I just-it was you! _You_ were the one making fun of them, and it made me angry."

He stiffened; clearly a simple apology wouldn't do. "I'm still really sorry, Alicia. I had no idea. Here, I'll make a big apology to Filch, and George, Lee, and me will stop pranking him. I'll try to convince Peeves too, but I don't know if it will work-"

He was cut off by Alicia launching herself at him happily.

"Would you really do all that for me? Oh Fred, that's so sweet!"

"I'm guessing she said yes, then," George spoke up from behind.

Alicia pulled back, embarrassed and puzzled. "Yes to what?"

The tips of Fred's ears turned red. "Well, I was gonna ask you to the Hogsmeade weekend, but I figured it wouldn't be a good idea right now." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Actually, I'd really like to go to Hogsmeade with you." Alicia beamed up at him.

George cleared his throat. "D'you think I could come with?"

"Angelina said no?" Alicia gasped.

"She already has a date," George said, scuffing the floor with his shoes.

"Of course you can," Alicia cooed sympathetically.

Fred forced the corners of his mouth to move upwards and resemble a smile. _Great, just great_. He loved George, he really did. But now was his chance with Alicia, and his twin brother was going to be crashing their date. All because Angelina had decided to get a different date. Was there any way that he could convince her otherwise? A plan began to take shape in Fred Weasley's very dangerous mind.

* * *

Harry could only stop and stare as Hermione made a beeline for Lavender and Parvati at the Gryffindor table. She always sat with him and Ron. _Always_. Where would he sit now? Was he supposed to follow her, or to go find Ron? His best mate sat with Dean, Seamus, and Neville. He walked towards the boys, filled with trepidation.

"Hey Harry," Seamus greeted him. The Irish boy had already finished, and appeared to be watching Ron eat in deep fascination. Neville gave him a strange jerk of the head, which was probably supposed to be some kind of cool, laid back nod. Dean waved, gazing at his sketch pad morosely.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked him.

"I took some art lessons over the summer—just some really casual stuff—and the instructor there told me to improve on drawing humans," He explained. "She suggested that I use a model to help. The only problem is, no one wants to be my model."

"I said I would," Ron said around a mouthful of ham sandwich.

"Yeah, but it's kind of hard to draw someone who won't stop eating," Dean retorted. "Anyway, I'm about ready to just give up on drawing people. It's too hard," he sighed.

Harry cringed. He just knew he was gonna regret doing this. "I'll be your model."

"Really?" Dean perked up instantly.

"Sure. Why not?" Harry reckoned it wouldn't be too bad. His real motivation for doing this was actually to keep Dean safe. He knew the boy was a muggleborn, which meant he was at risk from being killed by the basilisk. Being a model gave him the perfect excuse to be near Dean at all times, and possibly allow him to stop the basilisk.

"Great!" Dean cheered. "The first few aren't gonna look too good, but I'll get better after some practice."

Dean was right; the only way Harry could tell the first drawing was him was because of the scar. Dean had done the whole thing in pencil, which meant his eyes were just a simple gray. His messy hair merely looked curly, his nose was too small, his lips too big. There was so much wrong with it, but Harry just slapped Dean on the back and told him to try again.

Students began filtering out of the Great Hall shortly after one-thirty. Hermione and her gaggle of giggling girls exited hurriedly, seemingly anxious to get back to the dorms. Ron and Seamus went back to the Common Room to play a "quick" game of chess, Neville following them hopefully. Penelope was doing homework when she caught Harry staring at her, before beating a hasty retreat. Still, Dean drew Harry, crumpling the paper when Harry's jaw was too strong or his ears protruding too far out. It was nearly four when Dean declared they were done for the day.

"Thank you so much Harry," Dean said with a smile. "Sorry it took so long. I really wasn't expecting that. But I think it worked. I'm definitely better than before." He handed Harry a slightly wrinkled sheet of paper.

Harry's jaw dropped. It was him! Well of course it was, but this looked unbelievably realistic. His eyes behind his glasses sparkled, and the underside of his jaw was carefully shaded in. But by far, Harry's favorite part was the fact that his lightning shaped scar was obscured by his black bangs. He glanced up at Dean questionably.

"You kept pulling them down, so I thought you'd like them this way," He explained. "Must be hard to be famous all the time," He ventured.

"Yeah," Harry grinned wryly. "Yeah, I guess it is." And that was how Dean Marcel Thomas became friends with Harry James Potter.

* * *

"Hey Katie, wanna go out to Hogsmeade with me?"

"What do you think about going out for a butter beer with me, Katie?"

"Hey Katie, I just realized—we never celebrated your birthday. I'll take you to Honeydukes."

No matter what faces Cormac made, none of them really worked with his proposals. He tried going for the alluring smile, which made him look constipated. He tried going for the self-assured smirk, which made him look constipated. He even tried the shy, insecure, puppy dog eyes, which still made him look constipated. He had worked this over in his head for ages. He would ask her to Hogsmeade, and if he did it right, she'd say yes. If she said no, it wouldn't be that big of a deal though. Not a problem at all. No, he'd just hide up in the dorms and never speak to anyone again out of shame. It'd be fine.

"How does Hogsmeade sound to you?"

"Really weird, actually."

Cormac almost jumped out of his skin at hearing a voice answer him. It was Lee Jordan, a Gryffindor a year above him. Lee commented on the Quidditch games, and Cormac was almost positive that he and Katie were at least friendly acquaintances, if not more. In fact, Lee indirectly played a role in Cormac's reasoning behind speeding up the plan. Katie had a lot of guy friends, and even boys she wasn't friends with had noticed that Katie Bell was a girl, and an attractive one at that. Cormac had to get there first. Otherwise, one of the others might steal her away, and he would never have another chance.

"What are you going here?" Cormac asked, ignoring Lee's knowing look.

"Just thought I'd come help out a good friend." Lee bobbed his head up and down before taking a seat on Cormac's bed.

Cormac frowned. Since when were he and Lee Jordan good friends? Cormac didn't know the first thing about the boy.

"Specifically in the romance department," Lee clarified.

Cormac flushed. "How did you know about that?"

"I have my ways," Lee said mysteriously. "Anyway, first we have to make sure that Katie really thinks you guys are friends—"

"But I thought you had to just ask her first, so that you didn't get stuck in the friend zone," Cormac said, bewildered.

"Who fed you that load of tripe?" Lee asked.

"My sister." Cormac considered Olivia to be the leading expert on girls and romance. After all, she was a girl, and she certainly had no shortage of boyfriends.

Lee dismissed this with a wave of his hand. "Olivia doesn't know what she's talking about. She thinks she does, but she doesn't. Remember, this is Katie we're talking about. She won't just accept a flower and a compliment and then ride off into the sunset with you. It's going to take skill, finesse, and a lot of hair gel."

Cormac nodded slowly. "But how do you know all this?"

"Please," Lee snorted. "I'm older and wiser than you, young grasshopper. I have learned this through trial and error, through extenuating circumstances, through living the hardships of life."

"Young grasshopper?" Cormac echoed blankly.

Lee sighed impatiently. "Good muggle movie references are lost on purebloods," He murmured disappointedly. "Never mind how I know all of this stuff, the important part is that I know it and I'm helping you. Now are you gonna get the girl or not?"

"Well, yeah-"

"And you want to impress her, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Great!" Lee clapped his hands together. "Let's get going, then."

"Lee? Why are you bothering to help me?" Cormac asked.

Lee groaned. "Why are you asking all these questions? Look, the way I see it, all of my friends are either shacked up, about to be shacked up, or too young to be shacked up. I don't have any girls to go after, so I'm going to help you with yours. You know, I could probably be a matchmaker with this amount of practice. You'll probably be my last customer that I don't charge. Feel privileged."

* * *

"Alright people, listen up," Ginny barked. Meetings without Colin had been chaotic. Everyone missed him, but at the same time, people wanted to be moved up to replace him. Ginny was leaning towards Luna herself, but Demelza was certain that as secretary and third in ranking, she deserved to be vice president. As Treasurer Sheila MacDuff had said, it was a dragon eat dragon world. Ginny didn't have time to argue politics though; she was on a mission.

"Colin Creevey is in the hospital wing for an indefinite amount of time. We know a snake has bitten him. We know that we're not supposed to know. We know…um, Demelza, what else do we know?"

"Not much, Madam President," Demelza whispered.

"Right. There are people who know exactly what is going on. Namely, my brothers, Hermione, and our esteemed boy-who-lived."

"He's the greatest," All members simultaneously chanted.

"Thank you. Now, he is much too great to fall for any tricks of ours, and we would not play any on him anyway, for he is too good. Hermione and Percy possess a superior intellect, and would see through our plans. The twins are notoriously hard to seek out, and most likely wouldn't help us regardless. This means that we have only one option at our disposal. Ron is the weakest link. He's susceptible to bribery, and I have the perfect thing." Ginny held up a bag containing three corned beef sandwiches. "His favorite," She proclaimed. "We just need to find a way to slip it to him that won't look obvious."

Michael Cadwallader, Head of Special Operations, quickly devised a plan. Bailey Ryker, speechwriter and the most charismatic of them all, would cheerfully offer to share his sandwiches with Ron in exchange for a little help with some wizard culture. Bailey was muggleborn, and would say that it was easy stuff for a pureblood like Ron to figure out. He would first ask a few questions about simple stuff, like dragons and if a spell to wash dishes existed. And then, when Ron was least expecting it, Bailey would calmly ask about a snake that left no mark on its victims. And if Ron did somehow realize what they were up to, Bailey would withhold Ron's favorite sandwiches until the ginger gave in.

The plan had obvious holes. Anyone who didn't know of Ron's legendary appetite doubted that the food would be an appropriate motivator. Some doubted Bailey's ability to appear convincing and sincere. Ginny herself was just worried that Ron was smarter than she thought. But at the moment, it was the only lead they had. Colin _had_ to wake up soon, and the easiest way to ensure that would happen was to figure out what precisely had made him that way.

"So dragons really do exist?"

"Uh-huh."

"And magic carpets are no longer used in Britain, but people in the Middle East use them all the time?"

"That's right."

"And gnomes don't look like muggle gnomes at all?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. Okay, one more question and then you can have the sandwiches. What kind of snake would be able to put someone in a coma without leaving any sort of bite mark?"

Ron thought over the question for a moment. _Wait a minute_, he thought. A snake that doesn't leave any mark would be… "Er, well, I don't think I can answer that one."

"Why not?" Bailey asked innocently.

"I just don't think it would be a good idea, s'all." Ron was starting to get a little irritated. Who was this kid anyway? What made him decide to ask Ron all these questions? What gave him the right?

"Oh, I understand. I guess you just don't get these sandwiches, then." Bailey's act wasn't fooling Ron. But still, he couldn't take that chance.

"Wait!" He called. Ron breathed in deeply through his nose. "Corned beef," He muttered.

"Sorry?" Bailey asked, leaning in.

"Corned beef," Ron said again, louder this time. He frantically looked around the common room. There was his little sister, surrounded by a group of first years, watching his exchange with Ryker intently. "Ginny." He gnashed his teeth together.

Her eyes widened and she stood, anxious to leave.

"Stop right there," He instructed. For once, she listened to him.

"I just wanted to know what hurt Colin," She explained meekly. "No one will tell me."

"Ginny, come on. I can't tell you."

"Why not?" She demanded.

"Because. I can't. It's a secret." He swore.

"Oh yeah, sure, like I haven't heard that one before," She said angrily.

"Ginny, I'm serious this time. It's a big deal. I can't just go around telling anyone what went on. I want to tell you, I do, but this isn't like at the Burrow. It's _different_." He struggled to get the point across.

"I bet it is," She said icily. "Just one last thing. How did you know it was me?"

He shrugged. "It was simple, really. You and Mum are the only ones who don't know that I hate corned beef."

* * *

Cedric Diggory was feeling wonderful about life. His grades were wonderful, his friends were wonderful, Quidditch was wonderful, and now his date to Hogsmeade was wonderful. Angelina Johnson was pretty, smart, and tough. She didn't scream at the sight of spiders or snakes, and she could hold her own in a duel. Most important was the fact that she didn't dote and swoon and fawn on him like most of the other girls. Not that Cedric didn't like it, but it just got tiring when you couldn't get the thrill of the chase anymore because they all loved you. It didn't matter if he'd rejected them; they just went back to pining for him.

Angelina had taken a little less effort than he had thought. Maybe he should've gone for a Slytherin. But that wouldn't work. None of them were particularly good looking. Cedric didn't really consider himself a shallow person, but he didn't want to be saddled with some sort of hag either. Besides, he didn't think he could handle the constant talk of blood purity. Not to mention the fact that some of the old fashioned pureblood families believed that if you were to kiss a girl, you intended to marry her someday. Cedric wasn't quite ready for that level of commitment.

In actuality, Cedric wasn't ready for any level of commitment anywhere. He switched his social circle around frequently, and as soon as a girl started falling in love, he split. It wasn't so much that he was afraid as it was that he didn't want to restrict himself to any one thing. His father was starting to get a bit annoyed by the very trait he had encouraged: curiosity.

Cedric was restless, and he wanted to roam free without limits. He had wanted this since his mother had died. Just moments before she had drawn her last breath, she had whispered to him that he could be anything he wanted. An auror, a professor, a professional Quidditch player; the sky wasn't even the limit, because he could go beyond that if he wanted. And Cedric did want that. He wanted more than that.

He wanted everything.

* * *

"Oliver, are you okay?" Katie asked, concerned.

"Yeah, just thinking." He was sitting in the bleachers, staring out at the clear blue sky. The ideal flying conditions, but something more sinister and serious was on his mind. He and Percy had been on their way to McGonagall's office when Madam Hooch had stopped him. She wanted to talk about the rogue Bludger from the game. Percy had waved him on and kept moving, saying that he would be fine.

Apparently, not a single ounce of unusual magic had been found on the Bludger. She claimed that perhaps it was just faulty, and that she'd appeal to the Headmistress and the board of governors for a new one. Oliver knew better. Someone was targeting Harry. He had to figure out who and why.

More nerve-wracking was that the Chamber of Secrets had been found. It would never go down in history, because it wasn't supposed to exist. Would that mean that people would continue to look for it? Would that mean that some other fool would try to breed a new basilisk in the old one's place? Oliver's head spun with these questions.

He was also thinking of something else, something a tad more selfish. His mother had owled to say that she did not approve of his choice in careers. _Something more stable_, she had written. Oliver technically only had a two year contract. Puddlemere could drop him after his first year on the team. His mother took the time to detail each and every possible way he could meet his downfall through Quidditch, some of which were too gruesome to think about.

She didn't understand. Yes, he knew it was improbable that he would have his contract renewed if he lost even one game. Yes, he knew that springing for professional Quidditch could be dangerous if he should get some kind of injury and could never fly again. Yes, he knew that crazy fans and rabid reporters could ruin him. But he didn't care. He loved to fly, and it was the only thing that he could imagine himself doing, day in and day out. Sitting behind a desk and filling out paperwork would get boring fast. Aurors had to do paperwork, healers had to do paperwork, and creature handlers had to do paperwork. The most paperwork he would ever have to do as a Quidditch player would be medical forms.

Katie had come looking for him. Quidditch practice had been scheduled for over an hour earlier. Oliver didn't believe in basking in victory for more than twelve hours. Katie didn't know where he had come up with that rule, but he fiercely abided by it. Harry had been "busy", Angelina had been off daydreaming, Alicia sat giggling with Fred and George, and Lee was nowhere to be found. Katie had been the only person to show up for practice, and Oliver himself hadn't been ready.

"What are you thinking about?" Katie inquired timidly. Whatever it was, it didn't seem pleasant.

He exhaled slowly. "Have you ever known that something might be impossible, but you still wish for it all the same?"

"Yes," She said honestly. "All the time."

"What do you do to convince yourself to let it go?"

"I don't." She smiled warmly at him. "Makes life more interesting."

"But what if believing in it still just makes the truth worse?" He persisted.

She mulled this over. "Then I get hurt. Who really decides on the truth, anyway?"

He fell silent, contemplating. Truth was a big umbrella that covered all sorts of little inconsequential things. Oliver felt his current situation was just slightly out of reach from that umbrella.

"Wood! Bell!"

The two lions turned to find Burbage waving her arms wildly about. Katie would have laughed if not for the distressed look on the professor's face.

"There you two are! Come on, we have to get back to the Common Room immediately," She panted.

"Why? What's going on?" Katie asked.

"There's been another incident. The Headmistress and Professor Sinistra have been petrified, as well as a prefect." Burbage hiked up her robes to walk more quickly.

"Which prefect?" Oliver asked, a sense of dread filling him.

She grimaced. "Percy Weasley."


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: I don't think I've ever mentioned this, but CoS is my least favorite Potter book. I dunno why, I just can't seem to get into it like I can with the others. We've still got about ten chapters left in second year though, so we'll see how it plays out. I hit 700 followers for this story recently, and the current number is 718! I also have a very, very respectable 466 favorites. You are all absolutely amazing! And of course I couldn't do this without my reviewers. Thanks to blueeyedbeauty123, Makurayami Ookami, Cassandra30, Guest, phoebe turner, Firenze Fox, Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER, serenityselena, posiden'sdaughter, B00kw0rm92, slicerness, Nanchih, Lightningblade49, Lady Sabine of Macayhill, Spring Raine, Katzztar, Kairan1979, Wonderbee31, Cosmyk Angel, Marius Darkwolf, magitech, and serialkeller. You've helped me improve so much! Thanks again.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

The Gryffindor Common Room was in a state of mass panic. Not only was one of their own first years hurt by this monster, but now one of their prefects and two professors! Harry Potter sat by the fire with a large group of children surrounding him. Head of House Charity Burbage had left to go confer with teachers, as had Head Boy Richard Jones. Oliver Wood had been left in charge.

"I'm in charge?" He repeated, flabbergasted.

"Exactly," Jones said, looking eager to leave.

"But what am I supposed to do? The only rules I know involve Quidditch!"

"It's easy. If anyone asks you any questions, you don't know. If anyone wants you to make a decision, stall. Think you can handle that?" Jones asked impatiently.

"Well, I guess, but-"

"Great! If I don't see you soon, it's because I've been petrified," Jones said, hurrying away.

"You know, there's a reason I didn't want to be prefect," Oliver called after him.

The remaining Weasleys were all terrified. Their brother had just been turned to stone. He was lucky, of course, that he hadn't been killed, but it was still an awful feeling. He was gone. Percy, such a stickler for the rules, wouldn't awake until spring.

Oliver blamed himself. After all, wasn't it his fault that Percy was petrified? If he hadn't gone off to talk to Hooch, maybe Percy would still be here with them. After voicing his concerns to Katie, he felt a bit ridiculous, even more so after she spoke.

"Oh really Oliver? And I suppose you would've just suddenly become able to speak Parseltongue, and warn them that the basilisk was right around the corner. Or maybe, you wouldn't have heard it, but you would've been big and strong enough to take it down without anyone getting hurt in the process, because you're such a hero? You can't honestly think this is your fault. If you hadn't went with Hooch, the only thing different is that you would be petrified now too."

"But still…" Oliver trailed off despairingly.

"Don't be stupid," She snapped. And that was that.

The other Gryffindors appeared to blaming everything in existence.

"If Dumbledore had been here-"

"We're all doomed…"

"I want my mum…"

"Oliver, you have to do something," Lee insisted.

"Why do I have to do something? Why can't someone else do something?" Oliver asked, put on the spot.

"You were left in charge," Hermione pointed out.

Oliver exhaled deeply. "I guess…"

"Just pretend it's Quidditch," Fred advised.

"Right. Quidditch. I can do this." Oliver unsteadily climbed atop a red, squashy couch. "Gryffindors, listen up." Every lion in the Common Room crowded around him, faces turned up expectantly.

"I know things look pretty scary right now. Percy and Colin-"

"Who?" Olivia McLaggen murmured to her friend.

"You don't know who Colin is?" Oliver frowned.

A first year boy climbed up the couch to stand next to Oliver. "Colin Creevey was a first year Gryffindor. His father is a muggle milkman. His mother teaches young muggle children. He has a little brother named Dennis, who is nine. Colin had endless enthusiasm, and was incredibly excited to be part of the magical world. He was an avid photographer and a fiercely loyal friend. His energy knew no bounds, and he could bring a smile to anyone's face. In short, Colin is a great guy, and his absence has been felt by his friends." The tiny boy stepped down with a solemn look.

"Well said, Ryker," Ginny whispered. There was an uncomfortable silence in which those who knew Colin considered Bailey's words, and those who didn't felt as though they were intruding on a deeply personal private moment.

And then slowly, Harry began to clap. After a moment's hesitation, Dean and Hermione joined in. Ron, Seamus, and Neville added their applause, and before anyone knew what was happening, the whole room was filled with the sound of cheers, claps, and whistles. Bailey slid down in his chair, cheeks turning pink.

"So we know," Oliver shouted over the praise. "That Colin was amazing. And of course, who hasn't heard of Percy Weasley? Some of you may just remember him as a prefect, a rule abider, and a stick in the mud. But to his friends, he was so much more than that. Percy was a genius, and he would do anything for family. He was a leader, to me…to all of us. It was a shock to hear that he'd been petrified, but at least it happened when he was trying to do the right thing."

"Percy! Colin! Percy! Colin!" The Gryffindors chanted.

"So we're certain that, even though we may not have known them as well as we would've liked, they were true Gryffindors. That makes them family. And we protect our family. So let's pull it together guys. We're brave enough to get over our fears and the what if's. We're lions."

And appropriately, they all roared.

* * *

"Would all students make their way to the Great Hall as soon as their Head of House arrives?"

Despite the rally earlier, the children had been restless. Oliver had stood watch by the portrait hole, ready to stop anyone foolish enough to leave the safety of the Common Room. Flitwick's voice over the intercom was met with great appreciation. There was only so much they could do there. Ron had point blank refused to play chess, instead stewing in worry over his brother. Ginny had not let herself play a game of Harry Potter trivia, rather focusing on the horrible idea that Colin and Percy might never wake up. Fred and George would not discuss prank ideas with Lee, preferring to go over every instance when they could've been nicer to Percy.

Everyone appeared to be reflecting on what they had said or done to the victims, or perhaps what they hadn't said or done. Christine Higgins regretted not telling Percy that she found him cute back in fourth year. Ellen Dowling wished she hadn't snapped at Colin for taking her picture at the first ever HPFC meeting. The air was heavy with remorse, and the prospect of dinner was a welcome distraction.

The portrait hole opened with a bang, and Professor Burbage and Jones stepped inside.

"What's the verdict?" Oliver asked tiredly.

"Hogwarts is going to be shut down," Burbage said grimly. "Students will have to arrange for transportation to another magic school. Everyone should clear out of here within the week. Professor Sprout will take the Mandrakes along with her, and will send them to Professor Snape when they've matured. He'll brew the Draught and send it to the families, free of charge. Are we ready for dinner?" Burbage's eyes were red and puffy—she'd clearly been crying.

Richard's hair looked rumpled, and his face was devastated.

All around the Common Room came gasps and cries of outrage. But no one was more broken hearted than Harry Potter. Hogwarts was his home. He had the best year of his life there. He had real, actual friends there. He couldn't just pack up and leave, go back to the Dursleys and forget the fantastical world he'd gotten a glimpse of. Hermione attacked him with a hug. Ron could only stand near him, eyes looking suspiciously watery.

Ginny and Demelza clutched at each other. They might never see the other or Colin again! Oliver couldn't help but swallow. Hadn't he just given a speech about how great it was to be a Gryffindor? What was he without his house, without Hogwarts?

The children marched down to the Great Hall despondently. Padma Patil came over from Ravenclaw to gossip with her sister. She was accompanied by Penelope. Oliver pointedly turned away, but she pushed on.

"Wood, can I talk to you for a minute?"

He nodded curtly. "McLaggen, you're in charge 'til I get back. Don't kill anyone."

Olivia glared daggers at him.

Penny led Oliver to a tiny alcove off the side, still in view of the professors, but out of hearing range.

"I heard about Percy," She began hesitantly.

"Oh really?" Oliver smiled humorlessly. "Realized that blood doesn't matter anymore, eh?"

She frowned. "I intended to-"

"Intent is nothing without action!" He exploded. "It doesn't matter what you _meant_ to do. It doesn't matter if you feel bad. What matters is that my best friend has been petrified, and we'll probably go to different schools now, and when he saw the reflection of that basilisk, he was probably thinking about how you abandoned him!"

His words seemed to strike a chord with Penny. With her eyes shining, she drew herself up to her full height. "Well I'm sorry if I can't be some sort of fearless, evil-fighting hero. I'm sorry if sometimes I get scared and worried and it's just a little too much for me to handle."

"Not everyone can be branded as courageous or a coward. Some of us try our hardest, but we have our limits. Bravery's got to be the only thing placed into that sort of category. No one gets angry if you're smart to a certain point, or if your loyalty has limits. But if you get scared sometimes, it's like you'll always be thought of as afraid."

"But I'm here now. I want to help, and that _does_ matter."

To his credit, Oliver did look guilty. "I'm sorry-I just. Look, I-I don't know what to do. I was the idea man, and Percy made it work. How am I supposed to fix this without him?"

Penny felt sorry for him. Oliver couldn't seem to function without Percy, which made her all the more determined to get her boyfriend back.

* * *

"Attention students," Sprout announced from the head table. McGonagall and Sinistra's seats were conspicuously empty. "By now I'm sure you've already heard of what will become of all of us. We cannot stay here while a monster terrorizes the school. The Board of Governors has sent out letters to all of your guardians informing them of the situation. Some of you may leave as early as this evening, but no matter what, everyone must be off Hogwarts grounds by the end of this week." Sprout scanned the crowd, her face drawn.

"I know this is a shock, and I know all of you will miss Hogwarts, but we have to leave. As I understand it, Professor Lockhart has a few words for you."

For once Lockhart didn't have a pompous air about him as he rose up out of his chair. "Students of Hogwarts," He began gravely, looking almost humble. "Yesterday, at our very exciting Quidditch match, I did something I shouldn't have. I am not trained in healing, and yet I still attempted to heal a broken arm. For those of you who don't know, this attempt quickly went awry, and the student had to be rushed to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey did an excellent job of patching him up, but my error still remains. It has been mentioned to me that I should refrain from casting spells I am unfamiliar with, for they can have unintended consequences. This incident could've turned out very badly, but luck was on my-our side. Still, I offer my sincerest apologies to Mr. Harry Potter." Lockhart sat back down with a final awkward glance at the students.

The audience was stunned into silence. Even Sprout and Flitwick, who had been having a non-verbal, passive aggressive war over who was in charge, were unable to come up with a proper response to this.

Finally, Septima Vector rose and cleared her throat. "Right, thank you for that, Gilderoy. I believe that is all-"

"Actually professor, I have an announcement to make as well. I was planning to wait for a little while longer-" _Like after Ravenclaw smothered Gryffindor_, he added mentally. "But since this is likely to be the last night we're together, I figured this would be a good time." Roger carefully extracted a Muggle tape player which he had cast a _Sonorus_ on to ensure that the whole Hall would hear. Then, he dug out a muggle tape and slid it in.

Flitwick felt his stomach give a jolt.

"_Wood, Weasley_," McGonagall's voice emanated from the tape. _"Recently, you came to Professor Flitwick about a boy named Tom Riddle. Is this true?"_

Oliver felt his jaw drop open. He couldn't let this happen, but at the same time he was powerless to stop it.

"_Now, Rubeus Hagrid was convicted of opening the Chamber of Secrets and killing Myrtle Henderson in 1943. Yet you say you have evidence to the contrary?"_

Hagrid took out a hankie and blew his nose loudly.

"_Yes."_

"_Why do you think Tom Riddle is the true perpetrator, and that Rubeus Hagrid was framed on both charges?"_

Oliver couldn't help but start to panic. What was he going to do?

"_Look Professor, we know that Tom Riddle is Voldemort. We know that he's Slytherin's heir, which means he'd probably know where the Chamber of Secrets is and how to open it. We also know that Hagrid is probably the least likely person to want to unleash a monster that would kill a ton of muggleborns."_

"_Mr. Wood, while I admire that you obviously put a lot of time and research into your theory, it most likely won't stand up in court."_

"_Hagrid had an Acromantula as a pet, right? And that's what everyone thought was Slytherin's monster. But it isn't. Slytherin's monster is a Basilisk, and we know where it is."_

"_Isn't this where we're allowed to ask for legal counsel?"_

At this news, Draco Malfoy looked ready to faint. Indeed, the entire Slytherin table looked a mixture of disbelieving and queasy.

Percy's words echoed through Oliver's head.

"_Think of the possible ramifications. It might start another war, by some pureblood Death Eater who swears he can do what Riddle couldn't! It'd be insane."_

Why Davies, why? Why couldn't he have just kept his stupid, big, fat mouth shut?

But Roger looked just as surprised as all of the others. "But I-I thought-It was supposed to get Wood in trouble!" He wailed pathetically. "This isn't even anything good! All that hard work, wasted."

"Roger," Flitwick squeaked angrily. "How did you even obtain that tape?"

Roger mumbled something incoherent to Oliver, but Flitwick clearly understood.

"There's been a secret entrance to my office this whole time and I haven't known about it?" Flitwick exclaimed indignantly.

"We've known about it." George nudged his twin.

"Why that's just…but never mind. Why did you steal it from my office?"

Again, Roger mumbled.

"I see," Flitwick frowned. "And did it ever occur to you that playing a tape with Wood's name on it that was obviously meant to be destroyed was a bad idea?"

Roger shrugged, staring at the ground.

"Alright Roger, come with me."

Well, Oliver mused to himself. He had gotten revenge on Davies, but it had come at a very high cost.

* * *

"I'm going to miss you," Hermione said tearfully to her friends back in the Common Room.

"We can still write to each other," Katie tried to convince them.

"It won't be the same," Lee said stubbornly.

"I 'spect Mum will want to homeschool us," Ron said gloomily.

"My parents would prefer it if I went to Beauxbatons. I already speak a bit of French," Hermione said.

"I have no idea where I'll go," Angelina sighed.

"The Dursleys probably won't take me anywhere else," Harry said sadly.

Oliver couldn't believe his ears. "You guys are just going to take this lying down? You're not even worried about the fact that we'll never come back to Hogwarts again, that we're going to be split up?"

"What's the point?" Alicia wondered dully. "There isn't anything we can do."

"So that's it?" He snapped. "We don't even try? You should be ashamed of yourselves. Aren't we friends?"

The group looked abashed, but none of them gave in. Ginny curled into herself, staring at the fire. Hermione sniffled and swiped at her eyes. Harry took off his glasses, needlessly wiping them off with his shirt.

"I can't believe it. What happened to the Quidditch team going to the World Cup? What happened to us being a family? Are we just gonna leave Colin and Percy here, not telling them what's going on or even saying goodbye? Are we just gonna let some monster get away with attacking our friends? Is that who we are?"

Oliver glanced up at a portrait hanging on the mantel. The man rarely spoke, and he never said his name. But Oliver had his suspicions.

"We are Gryffindors, and we protect our own," He declared firmly.

Fred and George sat a little straighter. Hermione relinquished her tight hold on Hogwarts: A History. Ron unfolded his legs and stood. Harry settled his glasses back on his face, determined.

"What will we do?" Katie asked.

Oliver looked at the portrait again. "We're going to kill a basilisk."


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: I'll admit, I've been dragging my feet on this one. I've never written a real action scene, but I figured now would be the time to start. Tell me what you thought! As per usual, I have a gigantic list of thank yous. Thanks to all my readers who've kept up with this story. Lots of thanks to my 748 followers and 490 favorites. Ginormous thanks to reviewers The Third Biker Scholar, Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER, RRW, Lyd, Guest, phoebe turner, MaeSilverpaws1, Cassandra30, lilmisdiva, agnar, Slicerness, Kairan1979, Majerus, Cosmyk Angel, TeresaLynne, Firenze Fox, MariusDarkwolf, serialkeller, Spring Raine, LoveLifeForever, Nanchih, Tellur, Lady Sabine of Macayhill, Anti-Social Otaku, Margaret Luna Sullivan, B00kw0rm92, and red-jacobson. You guys have been great.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

A gaggle of Gryffindors and one lone Ravenclaw trooped into the Headmistress' office, which was currently serving as the headquarters for the remaining staff. Harry carried a strangely shaped sack, which made thumping noises as he walked. Everyone looked oddly happy, considering the circumstances. Everyone that is, except Oliver Wood, who was nervously bouncing up and down in anticipation of exactly what Burbage would say when she discovered what he'd done.

"Transformations," Penny chirped to the stone gargoyles. One yawned and the other snorted, slowly moving apart.

"This is gonna be so much fun," Alicia squealed.

"I can't wait to see their faces," Cormac whispered gleefully.

"Mr. Wood," Burbage began shrilly. "Who is looking over the other Gryffindors?" Richard sat in the office, as well as the Head Girl.

"I left Olivia in charge," Oliver stuttered.

"Olivia?" Burbage repeated, searching her memory. "Olivia McLaggen?"

"Yup."

"They're definitely dead," Richard muttered.

"Professor Burbage," Penny intervened quickly, sensing the meeting was about to go downhill fast. "How would you feel if we were to go find the basilisk for you and kill it?"

Immediately, noises of outrage burst out from every adult in the room.

"How could you even begin to think of such a plan?" Flitwick squeaked.

"You mustn't. It's too dangerous," Sprout said.

"Really, Miss Clearwater, how could you even pull off such a plan?" Vector asked.

"No." Burbage was adamant. "I've already lost two Gryffindors, and I'm not going to lose any more."

"Well then, you'll be happy to know the basilisk is already dead, and we're still safe and sound," Fred said in what he clearly thought was a winning tone.

Alicia felt like smacking him. That was how he chose to reveal it?

"Explain. Now," Burbage ordered.

Oliver nudged Harry, who carefully set the sack on the desk.

"I wouldn't open it, if I were you," Harry warned. "I'm not sure if it can still petrify people when it's dead."

Head Girl Johanna Winters looked ready to puke.

"Harry, how about you start us off?" Oliver said calmly.

"Well, okay." He stepped forward, choosing to look at a former Headmaster picking his nose. "It all started when…"

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione traipsed down to Hagrid's hut under Harry's invisibility cloak (although he omitted this part of the tale in front of professors).

"You're sure this is gonna work?" Ron asked Hermione.

She shook her head. "No, but it's all we've got."

"Hagrid," Harry whispered urgently. "Hagrid!"

The lumbering giant of a man stood and opened the door. "Who's there?"

"It's us, Hagrid," Ron said impatiently.

"Ron? Are Harry and Hermione with yeh too?" He whispered gruffly.

"We're here Hagrid," Hermione replied. "Could we please come in?"

"Oh, o' course!" He exclaimed, leaving the door wide open.

"Not so loud," Harry hushed.

"Oh, sorry."

Once inside, Harry whipped the invisibility cloak off of him and his friends. "Hagrid, we know it wasn't your fault. We just need to get a rooster to kill the basilisk," Harry said, wasting no time.

"Well, I dunno if I can let you have one o' mine. Yeh're too young to go off killing basilisks." He busied himself with putting on some tea.

"Come on Hagrid. You trusted us with a dragon before. What's so different now?" Ron wondered.

"Norbert was just a babe," Hagrid argued. "He wouldn't ta hurt yeh. A basilisk is something different."

"Please Hagrid?" Hermione begged, her eyes going wide.

His resolve started to crumble. "I dunno…"

_Knock! Knock!_

"Who's there?" Hagrid called.

"The Ministry of Magic," A pompous voice replied.

Hermione gasped.

"Quick! Under the cloak!" Harry said hurriedly. The trio scrambled to a corner of the hut and hid.

"Er, Minister, how lovely to see yeh," Hagrid said, wiping sweat from his brow. "An' Lucius Malfoy, too. What a surprise."

_What's Malfoy doing here_? Harry wondered.

A man whom had Harry had never seen before walked in. He had tufts of grey hair, and wore a cloak over his pinstripe suit, as well as pointy purple boots and a green bowler hat.

"That's Dad's boss, Cornelius Fudge!" Ron breathed.

"Shh!" Harry and Hermione hissed.

Lucius Malfoy strode in, looking arrogant and up to no good.

"Let's cut straight to the chase Hagrid," Fudge began, casting a nervous glance over his shoulder at Malfoy. "There have been too many attacks on the castle for the Ministry to stay out. We must do something to stop them."

"But I haven't been-"

"Really, it doesn't matter," Malfoy interrupted smoothly. "Something needs to be done to show the public that the Ministry cares, and this will be perfect."

"I-I—who let you in?" Hagrid demanded weakly.

"Oh, Severus was more than happy to pull a few strings for an old friend," Malfoy said with a sly smile.

Harry let out a small growl.

"What are you gonna do to me?" Hagrid murmured fearfully, eyes shifting around the room.

"We'll have to take you. Just temporarily of course. If it turns out that you're completely innocent, we'll let you go with a full apology," Fudge assured him.

"Take me where? Not Azkaban?" Hagrid asked, paling drastically.

"Only temporarily," Fudge repeated, almost looking more nervous than Hagrid.

Hagrid let out a little moan. "I –I can't believe. I-well, if anyone were ter want ter find some stuff, I suppose they could follow the spiders. That'd lead 'em straight."

Fudge and Malfoy traded looks of mutual confusion.

"Come on Hagrid, I'm sure the Azkaban guards are looking forward to seeing you again," Malfoy said nastily.

The big man heaved himself up and shuffled out the doors, not even bothering to put up a fight.

The trio stood, shell-shocked in the corner of the hut, hardly daring to think that what they had seen was real.

At last, Hermione slid out from under the cloak. "Come on," She said sadly. "We still have to get that rooster."

"What's the point?" Harry said dully. "Fudge doesn't care that Hagrid didn't do it."

"But maybe if we can kill the basilisk, he'll be set free," Hermione said optimistically.

"I guess," Ron muttered.

Catching a rooster turned out to be quite a bit harder than they thought.

"Anyone got any rooster treats?" Ron grunted.

"If we did, d'you think we'd still be trying to catch one?" Harry wheezed.

"Ow!" Hermione groaned as she fell down on the ground. "How are they so fast?"

"That's it!" Ron snapped. He slammed into a group of roosters and grabbed blindly. "Aha!" Ron held up a fistful of rooster.

"Don't hurt him!" Hermione scolded, racing towards the rooster in distress.

"Oh, so now you care about animals?" Ron challenged.

"Don't be ridiculous, we need this one."

"Squawk!"

"Shh!" Harry said to the rooster.

"Squawk!"

"Oh, shut up!" Ron said.

"Squawk!"

"You just had to get the one rooster who won't stop crowing, didn't you?" Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Squawk!"

"He's going to give us away," Harry realized.

"Wait!" Hermione brightened. She pulled a small vial of blue colored liquid out of her bag. "Hold him still Ron."

The rooster pecked at the potion, getting drowsy almost right away.

"Is he going to be okay?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Of course," Hermione sniffed. "It's just a diluted Sleeping Potion."

"You carry that thing around with you?" Ron said in amazement.

"No, I just thought it might come in handy with the roosters," She said, blushing. "Let's get it inside before he wakes up."

* * *

"Follow the spiders?" Penny frowned. "You're sure that's what he said?"

"I dunno what else it could've been," Ron shrugged.

"It must somehow be connected with the Acromantula. But how?" Oliver thought aloud as he began to pace.

"Maybe he wants us to go talk to them?" Hermione suggested.

"Count me out," Ron said immediately.

Fred and George snickered.

"We don't really have the time to deal with that," Oliver decided.

"The basilisk is our top priority right now," Katie agreed.

"Here's the plan. We'll make our way down to Myrtle's bathroom, and Harry will keep an ear out for the basilisk. If he hears it, we run the other way. We need to have the element of surprise on this thing. Now, when we're there, Harry will open up the chamber. Lee will go in first, with the rooster."

"Oh, I see. No one cares about Lee. Let's just send him in first to die, and we'll be able to figure out if it's safe," Lee ranted.

"Just do it," Oliver instructed. "Next, I'll slide in, and Penny will follow. Everyone will get down there, and we'll have a look around in case the basilisk isn't there."

"Or if the chamber's really big," Hermione added.

"We just need to make sure that the rooster crows. If someone…if someone gets petrified, we have to keep going. We need to make sure that no matter what, the basilisk is really dead. Alright?" Oliver swallowed hard and surveyed them all.

Hermione distributed hand mirrors. "Most of these are from Lavender and Parvati, but some of them are from others. Use them against the basilisk."

"Oh, and Ginny and Demelza will be standing guard outside the chamber," Penny tacked on.

"WHAT?"

"That's not fair!"

"Look girls, you can't come," Oliver said seriously. "You're just first years. You don't know any useful spells against a gigantic snake. You're lucky we're even letting you come this far."

Demelza and Ginny sulked.

"Everyone clear?" Oliver double checked.

The kids nodded their assent to the plan.

"Let's go and kill that basilisk."

* * *

Lee Jordan made up his mind within two seconds: he did not like the Chamber of Secrets. For one thing, it smelled terrible. For another, it was awfully dark down there. How was he supposed to be able to see this thing when he couldn't even see his own hand right in front of him?

The rooster had stirred directly before he jumped in the Chamber, and Ron swore that it would crow in time. Lee was slightly worried, because it hadn't made a single noise this whole time. But he figured the shadow of a basilisk would summon up a squawk out of it.

"Everything okay down there?" Oliver shouted.

"Yeah, I guess so," Lee said dubiously.

Oliver and Penelope dropped down.

"Harry come on!" Penelope called up. "Can you hear anything?"

"Hang on a sec." There was some shuffling, and the sound of a boy hitting the stone floor. "Yeah, I can hear a little something. He's hungry again. He's definitely down here somewhere."

"At least we have the right place," Oliver said brightly.

Gradually, the others made it to the Chamber.

"Lumos!" Hermione chanted. The Chamber filled up with light. A loud hissing noise that they all could hear echoed throughout.

"Uh oh," Katie whispered.

"Is that what I think it is?" Ron whimpered.

A dark, green, scaly figure was slithering towards them.

"Is that the basilisk?" Demelza asked eagerly.

"What are you doing down here?" Cormac muttered.

Oliver sighed. "I told you to stay up there. Fred and Alicia, cover Demelza. George and Angelina, cover Ginny. We don't have any time to waste."

"We don't need to be baby-sat," Ginny retorted angrily.

"Then you shouldn't have come down here," Penny countered.

"Alright Lee, now."

"It won't do anything," Lee said, puzzled.

"Squeeze it or something," Cormac suggested.

"It's still really quiet. I thought you said it would crow," Lee said to Ron.

"It wouldn't stop before."

"Um, guys, the basilisk isn't very far away," Ron hinted.

"Don't look at it," Katie scoffed.

"I'm trying not to, but it's really scary."

As the group bickered over the rooster, Ginny was treated to a rather awkward conversation taking place between her brother and Angelina.

"I really hope they can get this figured out in time. I don't want to have to leave Hogwarts," Angelina said wistfully.

"Yeah, I bet," George snorted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Angelina turned on him.

"Don't worry, _Angie_, you can always come and visit us. After all, pretty boy Diggory's only a mile away," George said snidely.

"Is that what this is about?" Angelina shrieked. "Are you upset that I'm going to Hogsmeade with Cedric?"

"Oh come on, Angelina, you can't seriously believe that he actually likes you!" George snapped.

"What's so strange about a boy liking me? Do you just think that I'm not pretty enough?"

"Don't be stupid. It's Diggory; he never has a steady girlfriend."

"Well, maybe I can change him!"

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"

Ginny took the opportunity to duck away from the pair and race toward the larger group, knocking over Ron in the process.

"Argh!" He shouted as he hit the stone wall. "What'd you do that for?"

"You were in my way," Ginny replied simply.

"So?" Ron growled. "That doesn't mean you can just bowl me over."

Fred and Alicia loosened up at the commotion, giving Demelza a wide opening to leave. She bolted toward Ginny, and the two girls dug their feet in, refusing to be left behind.

"He's really angry!" Harry warned suddenly.

Fred grabbed Ginny and Alicia grabbed Demelza as the two sprinted to the opening. Fred threw Ginny at his twin and Angelina, who were pushed down by the force.

"Can't you tell we're in a conversation?" George barked at his sister.

"Can't you tell we're about to die?" She screamed back.

Lee shook the rooster out in vain.

"Run!" He shouted.

The group scattered in different directions, desperately trying to confuse the basilisk.

Katie congratulated herself on avoiding the head and the body entirely. Unfortunately, she forgot about the tale. It literally swept her off her feet and onto its back. She couldn't get a good grip on its scales and was sliding off the other side. It was a big snake, and she was bound to hurt herself once she landed on the ground. She closed her eyes, bracing for the fall…

Instead, she landed in Oliver's arms. He cautiously set her down on the ground.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah," She said, finding it hard to breathe. "Thanks."

"No problem," He replied, gazing into her eyes.

The tail came back and whipped them into the wall.

"You stupid rooster," Lee cursed. "If you just did your job, we wouldn't be stuck in this mess."

He was currently trying his best not to look back over his shoulder at the basilisk following him. Why wouldn't the rooster just let out anything? Honestly, Lee wouldn't have minded some sort of rooster mating call at this point. Lee and Penny were the last ones standing. Everyone else appeared to have gotten knocked down at some point and were just crawling to avoid looking at their tormentor.

He kept running, but he didn't have much energy left. Was this how he would die? Running from a snake while clutching a defunct rooster? He had to admit, not exactly the way he thought he would go out.

"Lee!" Penny shouted.

He inched his head to the right to find a red spell flying at him. "What the hell?"

But the spell wasn't headed for him; it was headed for the rooster.

"SQUAWK!"

The basilisk's head slammed down inches from Lee. He began to feel just the slightest bit woozy. Perhaps a little dizzy too. Indeed, it looked almost as if the world were tilting…

* * *

"You fainted?" Richard struggled to contain his laughter.

"I thought we weren't going to talk about that," Lee hissed.

"It was too funny to edit out," Fred said nonchalantly.

"And how exactly did you get its head separated from its body?" Sprout asked, looking vaguely green.

"Slicing Curse," Oliver said. "Just wanted to be sure. And then we shrunk it so that it would fit in this bag."

"You're all fine, then?" Burbage asked, checking them over like a mother would.

"Well, actually we got knocked around a lot, so we probably have bruises, but we should be okay." Hermione was rather matter of fact in her assessment.

"Does this still mean that Hogwarts will get shut down?" Harry asked quietly.

There was a slight pause.

"I don't see why we shouldn't stay open, now that our monster problem has been taken care of," Vector said finally.

The small office erupted into cheers. Hermione attacked Harry with another hug, this time a happy one. Fred winked at Alicia, causing her to give a silly little giggle. Ginny and Demelza began squealing and jumping up and down.

"Will Hagrid get to come back too?" Ron wanted to know.

"Yes, of course," Burbage assured them. "I'll get him out straight away."

"Would you care to tell us precisely why you let the Ministry in without informing any of us?" Sprout turned toward Snape.

He glared. "I see no reason why I should not let them in. They are the Ministry, after all."

"They took one of our own!" Flitwick squeaked.

"Let's go," Oliver hustled the others out the door.

* * *

"I still can't believe we did it!" Katie gushed.

"I wish it would make Percy and Colin wake up," Ginny said mournfully.

"They'll be up by the end of the year," Penny said sadly.

"But they'll miss almost the whole year," Ron pointed out.

"I wish the potion wasn't so expensive," Alicia sighed.

"How much is it?" Harry asked, thinking of the heap of gold coins in his vault.

"I was looking through a catalogue earlier," Hermione confessed. "It's about 50 galleons a vial."

Oliver winced.

"I'll buy it." The words tumbled out of Harry's mouth before he knew what he was doing.

All eyes in the room swiveled towards him.

"Harry, mate, you don't have to do that," George tried to refuse the offer.

"No. Percy and Colin were my friends too. And how is Hogwarts supposed to be run without a Headmistress?" Harry prayed it would work.

"Well…okay," Fred agreed.

"Great!" Harry grinned.

"I have to go tell the club," Ginny squealed happily.

"The club?" Hermione asked. "What kind of club is it?"

"Oh, you wouldn't have heard of it." Demelza dismissed the older girl with a wave of her hand. "It's very exclusive."

Somewhere along the line, Penelope began to slip away to visit Percy.

"Clearwater!" Oliver yelled after her.

"Yes, Wood?" She said hurriedly, turning back.

"Percy was right. You're not so bad," He conceded.

She beamed at him. "Does this mean I get to be part of your oh-so-special group?"

He fought to keep the smile off his face. "Maybe."


	21. Chapter 21

**AN: Fun LU trivia time! Did you know I've had a complete list of all the members and their roles in the HPFC since the club was introduced? It took me ages to come up with it all. Reunions abound in this chapter, so watch out. Also, if you cry easily, as in really, _really_ easily, you might want your tissues for the last bit. Now for the routine thank yous. Thanks to everyone who's read the fic this far. Mucho thanks to the 779 followers and 522 favorites that have made this so popular. Tons of thanks to reviewers serenityselena, ElementKitsune, lyd, mudbloodpotter05, jupimako, phoebe turner, Kairan1979, Blinded in a bolthole, serialkeller, RRW, Tellur, Majerus, Slicerness, MariusDarkwolf, B00kw0rm92, Cassandra30, Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER, Lady Sabine of Macayhill, Spring Raine, and Firenze Fox. You're all so supportive.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise. **

Penny leaned against the cold wall outside the Hospital Wing, hands trembling. She couldn't stop replaying the last conversation they'd had, over and over again. What she wouldn't give to take it all back…She had been frightened out of her mind, but she'd later discovered that going on an adventure hadn't been so bad. There _had_ been that one moment when she'd thought they were done for, but after that passed, Penelope had gotten a rush of excitement rival to mastering a tricky spell. With the spirited blood pumping through her veins, she thought she might even be able to lift a car if she wanted to.

She had decided that being brave wasn't so bad after all. That didn't mean she was about to go looking for a trouble. She was still a Ravenclaw, and Ravenclaws were nothing if not logical. But if a situation should ever arise where Penny had to help, she wouldn't shy away. Her dilemma lay in figuring out how to tell Percy the events that had transpired while he had been petrified, and how to restore his faith in her.

* * *

Oliver had offered to explain things to Percy, but Penny had politely declined. It would most likely work, but Percy would hardly come to trust her as much if he didn't hear the words come from her lips. Oliver was in there right now, along with Ginny, Demelza, Burbage, Flitwick, and Sprout. Penny felt glad she'd made the decision to skip lunch. No doubt she would've lost it by now.

"So, what major detail did you just omit from your story?" Percy asked, wiping his glasses clean.

Oliver cursed under his breath. How was it that the bloke could always tell when he wasn't telling the whole truth? "I dunno what you're talking 'bout."

"Uh-huh." Percy eased himself back in the bed. His bones were still stiff from laying the exact same way for too long, but his eyes felt well enough to engage in a staring contest with Oliver.

"What are they doing?" Colin whispered to Ginny.

"I think it's their way of marking their territory," She guessed. "Or possibly a method of establishing the alpha male in this situation."

"Dammit!" Oliver exclaimed as he blinked.

"Confess," Percy ordered.

"Ugh, fine. Clearwater was there for the whole thing, and we sorta couldn't have done it without her, and I reckon she's not evil." Oliver said this with a deep reluctance. Not only would Percy pester him endlessly for more information, but Penny was gonna kill him!

"Penny?" Percy turned away, hiding his smile. "I told you she'd help."

"Yeah, after your life was in danger," Oliver scoffed.

"That was why she helped?" Percy asked, blushing and fumbling with his glasses again.

"Yeah," Oliver scowled. "I tried to make her go away, but she just stuck around. Anyway, she wants to talk to you next, so I think I'll just go now."

"Wait! She's here?" Percy called after his friend.

Oliver neglected to answer, preferring to exit the double doors and gesture to the girl Percy Weasley had had a crush on for three years.

* * *

"So you see, it's kind of like Harry saved you." Demelza had twisted the facts just a bit, but one part remained the same: that only Harry Potter had the funds to buy the Mandrake Drought.

"And the school was almost shut down?" Colin couldn't believe his ears. He wished he'd been there. Maybe he could've gotten a picture of the dramatic show down. "That's so wicked!" He sighed wistfully. Why was it that all the fun stuff happened when he couldn't go? When his friend Josh caught a bug and ate it, Colin had the flu. When Dennis broke his leg, Colin had chicken pox. When his best friends got to see a basilisk die, Colin had been turned to stone.

"Have you called a meeting?" He asked eagerly.

"Just to tell them that you were gonna be okay," Ginny assured him.

"Great! Let's go now," Colin said, struggling to swing his legs over the side of the bed.

"You will not be going anywhere," Madame Pomfrey scolded, swooping down on them.

"Aww!" The three whined.

"You girls may go, but Mr. Creevey must stay one more night." Pomfrey didn't look like she was about to back down.

"Don't worry Colin, we'll just bring the club to you," Demelza told him cheerfully.

"How big is this club?" Pomfrey asked suspiciously.

"Oh you know, just a few," Ginny said off-handishly, backing away slowly.

"We've never really done an official head count," Demelza lied, inching toward the doors.

"Girls." Madame Pomfrey raised her voice.

"Bye Madame Pomfrey!" The two yelled, dashing away.

She sighed. "I swear, children just keep getting faster and faster."

* * *

"I was so worried!" Burbage blubbered, sitting on McGonagall's bed.

"Charity!" McGonagall said sharply. "Keep it together!"

"Oh, yes, of course," She said, blowing her nose with a flowery tissue.

"Minerva, if something should ever occur where both you and Aurora are unavailable, who would you want to be in charge?" Sprout asked, shooting Flitwick a dirty look.

"Well, ideally it would be someone who's honest, caring, level-headed, and a good leader." Sprout and Flitwick both leaned forward. "Aurora, who do you think fits that bill?" Minerva turned to her fellow prisoner with a twinkle in her eye.

"Well," Aurora thought, tapping her chin. "I presume that it would have to be someone who's fair."

Sprout straightened up proudly.

"But that someone would have to be intelligent as well," Aurora added.

Flitwick bounced on the balls of his feet.

"Really, I think the person who best embodies all of these qualities would have to be…Miss Burbage over here," Aurora finished happily.

Burbage gasped, astonished.

Sprout and Flitwick wore similar looks of offense.

Flitwick found his voice first. "Thank you for answering that question, Minerva. If you need me, I'll be in my office trying to seal off that blasted passageway."

Sprout recovered quickly too. "I do need to check on my Mandrakes, even if we don't need them for the Draught anymore."

Burbage stayed behind, eyes as wide as saucers. "Minerva, Aurora, I do appreciate it, but I don't think I can handle being Headmistress of a whole school-"

"Oh, dear, don't worry about that," Aurora waved away the younger woman's concerns.

"Charity, I don't plan on anything happening to either of us for a very _long_ time. But if something did occur, you would have the opportunity to pass." Minerva patted her hand gently.

"But then who would get it?" Charity wondered.

"We'd let you choose who you felt was best," Aurora said diplomatically.

"Oh, but I have no idea-"

"Then you could choose from one of our picks," Minerva intervened smoothly. "Whichever one of them gets over this silly feud first." She winked at Charity slyly.

* * *

"Hagrid!" Harry exclaimed happily. "You're back."

"Why, o' course I am!" The giant boomed. "Couldn't leave my favorite students alone forever, now could I?"

Harry, Hermione, and Ron had been heading over to Hagrid's hut when the man himself had walked in the gates.

"Thanks ta yeh three and yehr friends, I'm a free man now."

"That's wonderful Hagrid!" Hermione praised.

"That's not all," He said, grinning. His tiny black eyes crinkled at the corners. "I've been cleared o' all charges. _An'_ I can do magic now."

"Cool!" Ron cheered.

"Hagrid," Harry said quietly. "What's Azkaban?"

Hagrid's smile dimmed. "It's a wizard prison. Nasty place, guarded by dementors."

"What are dementors?" Harry wanted to know.

"I've read about them," Hermione spoke up. "They suck out people's soul by giving them the kiss. The ministry managed to get them under control by having them guard Azkaban. If you're just in the presence of dementors, all your happiness can be sucked out of you. I read that people go mad in Azkaban because of the dementors."

Ron shuddered. "Dad told me about them. If you get sentenced to the kiss, you never get your soul back again."

"What if the person is innocent?" Harry asked.

Hagrid gave a huge shrug. "I don' reckon that's ever happened 'fore."

"But say it did?" Harry persisted, hardly knowing why he did so.

"Then the ministry would've made a big mistake," Hermione said bluntly. "There's no way they can fix it either, since you can't get a person's soul back from a dementor."

Hagrid nodded gravely. "They wanted ta give meh the kiss, but it's not given ta wizards that are underage. This time around, I was only put in a holding cell, just in case I _was_ innocent. Yeh can bet Lucius Malfoy wasn't happy 'bout that."

"What was Malfoy doing there anyway?" Ron demanded, ears turning red in his anger. He still hadn't forgotten the incident at the bookshop.

"Probly just wanted ta see meh off," Hagrid said bitterly. "Malfoy's a slimy one like tha'.

He shook himself, causing his coat to rattle. "But enough o' tha'. Why don' yeh tell meh what happened while I was away? I heard a bit, but not the whole story."

Harry, Hermione, and Ron traded glances. "Well…"

* * *

Henry Stebbins, Head Chef of the HPFC, drooled at the food left on Colin Creevey's bedside. He was so fascinated that he almost missed the whole point of their venture into the Hospital Wing.

"Want something?" Colin asked him kindly.

Henry could only nod enthusiastically.

"Go ahead."

Henry dove forward, hunting around the novelty candy and aiming for the gourmet.

"Remind me again why we let a guy who loves to eat become Head Chef?" Colin muttered.

"Because we couldn't really find a better role for him?" Ginny suggested.

Colin considered this. "Is it too late to keep looking?"

"Oh, no, no, no. Mr. Creevey needs his rest, and there are far too many of you around for that to happen." Madame Pomfrey was not pleased. There were over ten children crowding around Creevey's bed, all with solemn looks as they turned to spare her a glance.

Ginny whispered something in the ear of a Gryffindor with sandy blonde hair and clear blue eyes. He nodded seriously and drew himself up to speak.

"Madame Pomfrey, my name is Phillip Baker. I'm a Hogwarts Staff Liaison. Is it possible that we could come to a compromise on this?"

She could only gape at the small boy, questions flitting in and out of her head.

"Perhaps we should go to your office and discuss this further?" He wondered.

She blinked in surprise, but led him to the small room off the side.

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Demelza asked Ginny.

"No, but it's the best I could come up with." She shrugged.

"We all missed you, Vice President Creevey," Ellen Dowling, Lesser Educated People's Diplomat, said.

"It wasn't the same without you, Colin," Bailey said earnestly.

"Raine," Ginny commanded softly to a boy with jet black hair and dark brown eyes. "You're Head Healer; get in there and back him up."

"Um, Madame President? I think it's too late for that. Besides, I'm not a real Healer. You know that, right?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Baker, but I refuse to agree to any deal that does not end in all of you leaving Mr. Creevey alone. Now, your club better be out of here within the next ten minutes." Pomfrey shooed Phillip out of her office.

"It was a good try," Kirsten Dahl comforted him gently.

"I guess," He said glumly. "Still, it was my first assignment and I failed."

"Please," Demelza snorted. "That mission was practically designed to fail. We just didn't have any better ideas."

"I have a better idea!" Luna spoke up hesitantly.

Every head in the room swiveled to look at the petite blonde Ravenclaw.

"What if Phillip was to convince Professor Burbage to let us stay?" Luna proposed. "She would do anything for the Gryffindors, and if she thought that us being here would help Colin, she'd take it to McGonagall, who'd talk it out with Pomfrey."

Everyone stared.

"I thought it was good plan," She said meekly.

"Luna," Colin began gravely. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. You are a genius."

She turned a pretty pink as the club began to heartily compliment her.

* * *

"Percy?" Penny carefully drew back the curtain around his bed.

"Penny?" He sputtered, throwing his book into a drawer and sitting up.

"Percy, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. It…there isn't really anything else I can say. I just-I mean I understand if you never trust me again. It's only that…I couldn't do it. I didn't know what to do. I'm not used to just going on gut and instinct like you Gryffindors. I have to think, and not feel. I used to think that meant I wouldn't make any mistakes. But then I realized…some of the biggest mistakes I've made have come from when I think, and don't feel."

"In fact, I came in here with a huge list of reasons why I was so sorry, and what I'd messed up so badly, and all of these logical arguments, but as soon as I got in here, I forgot all of it. This whole thing right here is just instinct. I don't know if I can stop doing it completely. But I know I'm going to try. If you'll let me, I'll help you with every life-threatening situation you ever come across."

She stood with baited breath as he struggled to stand up from the bed. Slowly he made his way across the small curtain, walking with that familiar purpose that had drawn her to him. Carefully, he took her chin and tilted it up, and their lips met.

"Eugh!" Ron's voice sounded out of the curtain. "Is that Percy?"

"Shh!" Ginny hissed.

The pair broke apart and began to laugh.


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: I apologize for the rather short chapter, but I had some scenes I really needed to get in before the gang breaks for the holidays. I do have a new outtake up though, so go check that out! Thanks to all the reader out there. Gaggles of thanks to the 551 favorites and 812 follows going out for this story. Tons of thanks goes out to reviewers phoebe turner, Cassandra30, serenityselena, Majerus, B00kw0rm92, Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER, MariusDarkwolf, Firenze Fox, becuzitswrong, draconic skysong, Element Kitsune, Spring Raine, Tellur, serialkeller, RRW, Kairan1979, and Janna Kalderash.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

"There he is!" Neville jerked away from Dean and Seamus in the Common Room to get a better look at Harry as the boy climbed in through the portrait hole.

"Quit moving!" Dean ordered before turning to find his first model grinning sheepishly. "Harry!"

"Good to see you alive, mate," Seamus joked, standing to clap Harry on the back.

"Guess what?" Dean hurried toward them. "I posted one of my drawings of you on the message board, and now everyone wants me to draw them."

"That's great!" Harry exclaimed.

"Yeah. I've even got a waiting list. It was all thanks to you."

"Oh, uh, I dunno." Harry gazed at the ground. "I'm sure people wouldn't do that if they didn't see how good you are."

"Still," Dean shrugged. "No one was even willing to give me a chance until you did."

"Ron said he would," Neville pointed out.

Dean shook his head. "Yeah, but he doesn't count."

"Where is Ron, anyway?" Seamus scratched his head.

"In the Great Hall," Harry told them. "Something about fighting basilisks makes him hungry, I guess."

Neville's eyes almost popped out of his skull. "That was _real_?"

Harry blanched. "Well, yeah, I thought you knew."

"Rumors like that go around all the time about you," Dean said.

"Yeah, remember that one that said Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the ones to stop Quirrell?" Seamus said with a laugh.

Harry cringed. "That one was true too."

"Bloody hell," Seamus gasped.

"You've got to talk to us more often," Dean said reproachfully.

Harry blushed. "Sorry 'bout that. D'you wanna go see Ron?"

Dean packed up his art folder and the four boys set out.

* * *

"Hermione!" Lavender and Parvati pounced as soon as the bushy haired girl stepped foot in the dorm.

"Are you alright?" Parvati fussed automatically.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. Of course she isn't, look at her hair!" Lavender shrieked.

"Lavender," Hermione said patiently. "My hair's always like this, remember?"

"Oh." Lavender deflated quickly.

"What happened?" Parvati guided her to the make shift vanity Lavender had set up at the beginning of the year.

"Is it true that you were petrified? And that someone died? And that Harry saved you all?" Lavender fluttered around the room, bursting with anticipation.

"No, no, of course not. I wasn't petrified, no one died, and…well, I suppose that without Harry it wouldn't have been possible, but I don't know that he really _saved_ us." Hermione leaned back against the wall, smiling.

"Well? What happened? I need details," Lavender stressed.

"A lot of stuff went on. I don't think…"

"What?" Parvati asked worriedly.

"I don't really know if I should tell you. It's not my place to say." Hermione tried to avoid saying that she didn't want them gossiping, but the girls were smarter than she gave them credit for.

"Oh," Parvati said emptily.

"We get it." Lavender drooped. "It's fine, you don't have to tell us anything. I just thought…"

"No, guys, I want to tell you, honestly-"

"Really, you don't have to," Parvati protested weakly, turning away.

"I-I'm sorry," Hermione pleaded.

Lavender closed the curtains around her four-poster, and Parvati hurried into the bathroom.

Hermione Granger was alone.

* * *

Leann was worried. Katie had always been slightly distant, a friend that wasn't always around. But lately, Katie had been gone from most of the things that Leann and the other girls did. The girls had made plans to meet up in Hogsmeade, but Katie had been unable to give a definitive answer on whether she was doing something.

And it had started long before that. Katie had blown off study sessions and more, only to be found with her new friends. Merlin, how Leann hated them. Katie had always stuck with Leann, not Wood, Johnson, the twins, or even Granger! Worse still was that Cormac McLaggen, one of the dreamiest boys in their year, had taken an interest in Katie, not Leann.

Katie knew Leann had liked him since forever, and Leann knew that Katie had expressed her doubts about his intelligence several times. What had he done to convince Katie that he was a good guy? And were they dating? Is that why Katie hadn't said anything about Hogsmeade? Was she going with Cormac? Leann wasn't sure she would be able to handle that.

And now, there were rumors of Katie being involved in destroying the monster. Cormac had been there with her, as well as her usual group of weirdoes. Leann couldn't stand them, and the way they strutted around like they could do whatever they wanted now. Why couldn't Katie be content with her old friends? Were they just too boring for her?

Leann wouldn't admit it, but she missed Katie. Hadn't the two been best friends? The necklace around Leann's neck sure said so. Katie had picked up a pair at a muggle jewelry store, claiming that girls did it all the time. Leann had grabbed the one that said "Best" out of pettiness, but Katie had just smiled and tied the "Friend" half around her neck.

Leann would give the "Best" half to Katie if it meant having her friend back.

"Hey Leann," Katie greeted, meandering into the dorm.

"Where have you been?" Leann hadn't meant to sound like an over-concerned parent, but that was the way it had come across.

"Oh, y'know, around," Katie said airily, grabbing a hairbrush from her trunk.

"With who?" Leann demanded.

"The usual. You know, Oliver, Angelina, Cormac—oh, and Penny was there too—and Harry-"

"I know who the usual is," Leann cut her off harshly. "Didn't you think it would be dangerous?"

Katie straightened up, a serious look coming across her face. "You heard."

It hadn't been a question, but Leann answered anyway. "Yes."

"What were we supposed to do?" Katie asked defensively. "Hogwarts was going to shut down. We couldn't just sit back and let it happen."

The we Katie spoke of made Leann sick to her stomach. "I heard Cormac was with you."

"Yeah, he was," Katie said warily. "He didn't really do much, to be honest."

"Do you like him?" This wasn't how Leann had intended the conversation to play out, but she found that she couldn't stop the words from falling out of her mouth.

"Who? Cormac? No, of course not, Leann. I know you like him," Katie snorted.

"Say I didn't."

"What?"

"Just say I didn't," Leann insisted, moving closer to read Katie's face. "Say I didn't like Cormac. Would you then?"

"You know what?" Katie snapped, stumbling toward the door. "I don't have to have this conversation with you. I'll just go off and find some real friends that care about me. And yeah, maybe that does include Cormac!" She shouted, taking off.

It wasn't this last parting shot that jarred Leann; it was the sight of Katie's neck, devoid of any necklace.

* * *

"Alright, everyone listen up." Oliver Wood couldn't feel better. The monster was slayed, he was signed, and Hogwarts was definitely open. This meant that Quidditch was back on, of course.

"Ugh!" Alicia picked at her muddied uniform. "I hate practicing in the rain!"

"You look rather beautiful in the rain, though." Fred gave her a cheesy grin.

George pretended to gag.

Angelina felt her lips curve up before she forced them down. Unfortunately for her, George caught it and gave himself a pat on the back.

"Hey Harry," He said suddenly, changing the subject. "I don't suppose our dear brother has informed you of our mother's invitation to spend Christmas at the Burrow, has he?"

The black haired boy seemed taken aback. "Are you sure?"

"No, he's not," Fred chimed in. "That's why he asked you."

"Er, well," Harry became incredibly flustered as attention turned to him.

"No, he hasn't," Harry admitted finally. "But, I'd love to go," He added quickly.

"Wicked!" The twins chorused. "We'll let her know right away."

Harry felt the now familiar warm burst in his chest. It seemed to accompany every good thing that ever happened to him, which made sense, since it had never happened at the Dursleys.

"Is anyone even listening to me?" Oliver asked angrily.

"Nope!" The twins cheered.

* * *

"Hello," Andromeda Tonks said breathlessly as she arrived in the Hospital Wing. "I came as quickly as I could."

"Lovely to see you again, Andromeda," Minerva said, ushering her over to the bedside. "You didn't have to come right away."

"I know, but I just felt like it would be good for me to be here, in case anything went wrong." Andromeda smoothed down her skirts and perched herself on the bed next to the Headmistress.

"You'll be shown to your quarters by Charity Burbage, the Muggle Studies Professor and Head of Gryffindor House. Typically, I would send the deputy to do it, but with the state of things," Minerva tilted her head in the direction of the sleeping Sinistra.

"I understand," Andromeda bobbed her head graciously.

"Now, Charity will be a more than acceptable substitute, but I must warn you that she can be a tad nervous. It's nothing to worry about, of course, but she does have a tendency to ramble on about muggles…"

"Oh, that's fine, Ted's muggleborn, you know, so I've heard quite a bit about them-"

"I'm sorry I'm late, I was just informed that—oh, you're here." Charity strode in, hair flying out behind her. "You must be Professor Tonks, I'm Professor Burbage, but you can call me Charity." The petite blond shook the elder woman's hand profusely, blinking fast.

"Then you must call me Andromeda," She smiled politely.

"Oh, wonderful. Let's get started, shall we?" Charity bounced along the halls.

The two walked in uncomfortable silence. Andromeda was just starting to get desperate enough to mention muggles when a small boy carrying a large camera came running towards them.

_Click!_

Andromeda blinked dazedly.

"Who's this?" The boy asked eagerly.

"Colin, this is Professor Tonks. She'll be your Transfiguration professor from now on," Charity introduced them gently.

"Oh, okay." Colin practically vibrated with excitement, staring up at Charity.

"You can be excused," Charity told him calmly.

"Thanks!" He ran off with an energy that reminded Andromeda of Nymphadora.

"That was Colin Creevey. He's a first year Gryffindor. I've been trying to teach him some manners. We're starting out slow, and hopefully we'll make it to 'no more taking pictures without asking' before the end of term," Charity explained.

"AAAAHHH!" A loud, feminine scream could be heard from almost directly below them.

"Oh no!" Charity gasped. "Come on!"

Andromeda hiked up her robes and took off toward the stairs, only to be faced with an irate Slytherin girl.

"Oh dear," Charity whispered. "Are you alright?"

"Don't talk to me!" She snarled. "It was your people who did this to me!" She pointed to her periwinkle hair. Andromeda was so used to Nymphadora's metamorphagus abilities that she didn't bat an eyelash at the strange shade. But clearly this wasn't the girl's usual.

"The twins?" Charity asked sympathetically.

"Yes," The girl ground out. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find someone to take this off."

She stormed away.

"I don't know her, because most of the Slytherins don't take my class, but the Weasley twins are some of the biggest pranksters I've ever met, and I went to school with the Marauders!"

"You did?" Andromeda felt her stomach give a little lurch at the thought of her cousin. She'd truly thought he was one of the good ones.

"Well, we were a couple years apart, but yes." Charity sagged a bit before shaking herself.

Andromeda decided to take pity on her. "My daughter went to school with a Weasley. Charlie, I believe it was."

"Oh, I missed him by a year. But everyone says great things about him, so I suppose that's good. And here we are." Charity stepped forward with a flourish. "Right now, you don't have a password, but you can set it very easily. I'm afraid you have to be in Minerva's old quarters, but they do have a nice view."

In front of her eyes was a portrait of a solemn looking old woman. Her hair was black, tinged with gray, and she had an amulet on. She spared Andromeda a mournful glance before turning to her writing.

"She never talks," Charity explained, swinging the portrait open. "I suppose she must've written a book or something, but no one knows which one, because she doesn't even say her name. Anyway this door leads to your quarters, and the one on the left here leads to a bathroom, and this one is the most important. This is your office!"

"There is a door for the students to enter, so you don't have to reveal your password, but-oh!" She screamed upon finding three students already in her office.

Andromeda was almost certain that one of them was her nephew, Narcissa's son. Who else could have such pale skin and such light blonde hair but Lucius' son? He sneered in their direction, and Andromeda was sure of it.

The other two boys were big and bumbling, and they didn't appear to have much in the way of brains. One nudged the other, and they moved to flank the Malfoy boy.

Like bodyguards, Andromeda realized. Lucius' doing, she knew it. Narcissa had always been one to fight her own battles, or to not fight them at all. But Lucius wouldn't want his son to be seen backing down.

"You shouldn't be in here," Burbage scolded them. "20 points from Slytherin for snooping."

"20 points?" One of the bigger ones objected.

"Each," Burbage replied sternly. "Now move along, before I make it more."

The three skulked away, Charity shutting the door behind them. "I'm terribly sorry about them, they're big troublemakers to be honest, you're going to have your hands full. If you have any questions at all, let me know, but I'm afraid I have to be going right now. Have a good time."

Charity made her exit out the portrait hole immediately before an explosion went off.

"Oh no…" She groaned. "Not again."

Andromeda fell sideways into her desk chair. How had she ever thought teaching would be an easy job?


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: One reviewer made a very good point yesterday. Does the summary still work with this story? Let me know what you think! As always, thanks to all the readers out there. Tons of thanks to the 564 favorites and 838 follows on this thing. Really, I thought it was okay, but not THAT good! Lots and lots of thanks to reviewers Valentina Alexandrea Sparrow, AyumiFallassion, Beloved Daughter, Kairan1979, mudbloodpotter05, magitech, Spring Raine, MariusDarkwolf, RRW, B00kw0rm92, serialkeller, and geetac. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

"Wake up Ron!" Harry shook his best friend by the shoulders. The red head snored and rolled away.

"C'mon Ron, it's Christmas!"

"Christmas?" He said blearily, sitting up straight and rubbing his eyes.

"Ron, you have to-oh, hi Harry!" Ginny blushed as she stormed into Ron's room. "Well, um, presents are downstairs, we'll be waiting!" She fled the room, her pink dragon slippers sliding on the wood floor.

"Can't believe she's still like that around you," Ron grumbled, swinging his legs off the bed.

"At least she can actually talk to me now," Harry said optimistically.

Harry was positive he hadn't seen this many gifts since Dudley's last birthday. There were presents in all shapes and sizes, all brightly wrapped. Ron whispered to Harry that Ginny had slapped a bow on every present she had bought. Harry's of course, had the biggest bow of all, almost engulfing his present. From Oliver came an oddly shaped package covered in crumpled up brown paper. From Hermione came a gift that looked as though it could have come out of a movie; it was done perfectly. Percy's presents were methodically measured out and cut so that all the edges lined up exactly.

Shockingly, even McLaggen had gotten Harry a present. True, it was thrown into a bag and covered with tissue paper, but that was more effort than the Dursleys had thrown in.

"What do you think, Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked excitedly. "Is it like a muggle Christmas?"

Harry paused. Truth be told, he didn't have all that much experience with muggle Christmas. He tried to model a normal Christmas over the display windows in the stores by downtown. "Yeah, sort of. 'Cept we didn't have fairy lights. And our wrapping paper didn't move. And we didn't have Quidditch tree ornaments…but other than that, yeah," Harry added after Ron kicked him in the shin.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Mrs. Weasley cut in.

"We were supposed to wait?" The twins asked, half their presents already open.

From Hermione came, quite predictably, a book. Harry felt bad as he realized that he'd never finished the last one she'd gifted him. Percy had also gotten him a book: _100 Ways to Improve your Seeker Skills_.

"Oliver said if I got you a 'boring, dusty old tome' then he'd withhold my present. This was our compromise," Percy explained, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

The package from Oliver turned out to be a snitch "for practicing." Harry shook his head; Oliver had tamed his obsession with winning, but once in a while, his competitive nature shined through.

The twins handed him an envelope with an I.O.U for a "Deluxe Pranking Package" from Zonko's, redeemable after the next Hogsmeade trip. The remaining presents mostly consisted of candy, which Ron was more than happy to help Harry polish off.

Ron himself had gotten Harry a book as well. Upon opening it, Harry's eyes were assaulted by the bright orange of the Chudley Cannons uniforms.

"It tells you everything you need to know about the Cannons," Ron told him through a mouthful of chocolate frog.

"Time for breakfast," Mrs. Weasley trilled from the kitchen. "Oh, Ron," She sighed after seeing just how much he'd already eaten. "You've ruined your appetite."

"No, I haven't," Ron said, scrambling up from his seat and hastily swallowing.

On the Weasley table was a huge assortment of food. Pancakes, eggs, toast, bacon, waffles, sausage, fruit, and more were spread out on Mrs. Weasley's favorite plates. Everyone settled in quite happily to dig in to the heaping piles of food. Mrs. Weasley beamed as Harry took seconds.

"I wish Bill and Charlie were here," Ginny said glumly.

"They couldn't get out of work," Percy explained.

"On Christmas!" Mrs. Weasley cried in outrage. "They couldn't just let the family get together for one day!"

"Now Molly," Mr. Weasley began sensibly. "Goblins and dragons don't celebrate Christmas. At least, not like we do. They didn't see any reason for the boys to get the day off."

Mrs. Weasley harrumphed and put an extra helping of fruit on Ron's plate. "Aunt Muriel will be coming over for Christmas dinner."

Ron choked on his sausage. Fred and George pretended to puke. Percy rolled his eyes and pulled at his collar. Ginny stared down at her "bony wrists."

"Who's Aunt Muriel?" Harry asked.

"My aunt," Mrs. Weasley replied conversationally. "Wretched woman. Always tells me how I ought to be running my house and disciplining my children. We're her only relatives left though, and it would be cruel to leave her alone on Christmas."

"But mum," The twins whined. "She's the worst!"

"Oh hush! Aunt Muriel will be coming over for Christmas dinner, and that's that," She snapped.

* * *

In the afternoon, the kids had a snowball fight out by the orchard around the back of the Weasley house. Luna Lovegood came down and joined them.

"Luna!" Ginny squealed, racing over to hug the dreamy blonde.

"Hello Ginny," She said softly. "I have a present for you back home."

"I have one for you in my pocket," Ginny giggled. "Let's go!"

"Where are you going?" Percy called out to his sister's back.

"To the Lovegoods'!" She shouted back.

The two girls escaped out of the orchard and into a garden overgrown with weeds. Luna's mother had always maintained the garden. Luna had tried to keep it going, but she discovered she was much better with animals than with plants. A large weeping willow hung over a small, frozen over pond. Luna pulled open the back door to her home. Ginny noted with amusement that even the door was curved.

"Hi Daddy," Luna chirped. Xenophilius Lovegood sat at a kitchen table made into a writing desk, scribbling down symbols Ginny had never seen before.

"Hello girls," He said genially. "I don't suppose your brother is home?" He asked Ginny.

"Bill? Oh, no, the goblins had him stay in Egypt to help Gringotts."

"A ministry cover up, I'm sure," He muttered, scrawling a note at the bottom of the page.

Ginny glanced around the house curiously. Every room in the Lovegood house was curved, and it appeared as though the family had bought furniture to fit in. The counters, the table, even the stove was slightly curved, molding to the shape of the walls. The fridge was a bright, cheery yellow, and the counters were a peculiar shade of blue.

"Ginny, come up to my room." Luna beckoned her up the spiral staircase in the center of the floor. On the second level was a sitting room. A red couch that wouldn't have looked out of place in the Gryffindor Common Room went around half the room, looking as though it fit perfectly into the wall.

"Like a puzzle piece," Ginny marveled.

"One more floor," Luna said eagerly.

Ginny kept climbing, reaching Luna's bedroom and wallpaper covered in clouds. A picture hung on the wall, showing Luna and a woman who looked almost exactly like her hugging. Ginny realized with a pang that she must be Luna's mother.

Along the top of the walls was a border. Coming closer, Ginny could see tiny people there. One with flaming red hair was almost certainly Ginny herself. There was also a boy with mousy brown hair and a girl with auburn hair. "Is that us?"

"You, Colin, and Demelza," She said quietly, slipping towards her bed. "I'm going to put another part on later today."

"I didn't know you painted," Ginny said, feeling a fierce warmth crawl up inside her.

"Only when I have something important to paint," Luna said simply.

The warmth crept up to Ginny's throat, forming a lump and staying there. "That—that's really nice, Luna," She told the girl, feeling as though nice didn't even begin to cover it.

Luna smiled and rummaged around underneath her bed. "Here it is!" She gave a triumphant grin and pulled a brightly wrapped box out. It was tiny, and jingle bells were placed directly on top.

"Oh, wow!" Ginny reached out and gingerly took it from Luna. She took the bells off and set them in her lap. Slowly taking the lid off the box, she was greeted by a glint of silver. She pulled out a small chain with a few charms on it.

"It's a friendship bracelet," Luna clarified. "I thought that you'd like it. I have one too," She pointed to a nearly identical chain around her wrist. "It took me forever to find all the charms. I had to have the Blibbering Humdingers help me find them. This one was all the way in muggle London." She touched a lightning bolt on the bracelet.

"Thanks, Luna," Ginny said, impulsively leaning over and hugging Luna. The other girl squeezed back.

"Oh!" Ginny exclaimed. "I almost forgot about your present!"

"Having friends is the best present of all." Luna inched back onto her bed and leaned against the wall.

"Still," Ginny insisted lamely. "I want you to have this." She revealed a small pamphlet. "It's called 'A Pocket Guide to Fantastical Creatures'. I hope you like it."

Luna carefully opened up the book. "They have Nargles in here!" She gasped. "And Moon Frogs! And Blibbering Humdingers! This is the first book I've ever read that has them all."

"It took me ages to find something that was just right," Ginny smiled shyly.

"It's perfect!" Luna declared.

* * *

"Everyone get down here!" Mrs. Weasley screamed up the stairs. "Aunt Muriel is going to be here any minute!"

Percy had informed Harry that he should wear the best clothes he had when he met Aunt Muriel, because it would eliminate at least five insults she would throw at him otherwise. Ron had said that it wouldn't really matter if he was the most perfect person on the planet; Aunt Muriel would still complain.

Harry and the other boys all wore a white shirt and black pants. Ginny pulled on an itchy dress Aunt Muriel had bought her for Christmas the year before. Apparently, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley were the only people Aunt Muriel bought for. Fred and George said that they preferred it that way.

The Weasleys and Harry got in a straight line, as Mrs. Weasley went down and fixed each of them as best she could. She smudged dirt off Ron's nose and straightened George's collar. She tried to flatten Harry's hair, but it persistently stuck up.

The fire turned green and an old woman with a cane stepped forward. Despite the fact that she was incredibly short, she managed to intimidate Harry, with her steely eyes and no-nonsense expression. Her hair was a light ginger streaked with grey, and the wrinkles on her face only served to make her look like more of a fighter.

"Auntie Muriel," Mrs. Weasley twittered anxiously, rushing forward to kiss the elderly woman on both cheeks.

"Molly," She said severely. Her gaze moved down the line, from Ginny, to Ron, to Harry, and it stayed fixated on his mop of black hair.

"When did you get a child like that?"

"Pardon?" Mrs. Weasley sputtered indignantly.

"I may be old, but I'm not color blind. I can tell that he doesn't have that blasted color of your husband. Who is that one?"

Silence reigned through the Burrow.

"Well? Speak up boy!" She shouted at him.

"Er, I'm Harry Potter, ma'am." He stepped forward cautiously.

Aunt Muriel's beady eyes never once wandered toward his lightning scar. She carefully inspected him. "Why didn't you comb your hair?"

"I did, ma'am," He said diplomatically.

"Really?" She asked dryly. "Hmmph. Girl!" She snapped toward Ginny, who inched forward meekly.

"I see you're wearing that dress I gave you."

"Yes, Auntie Muriel."

"Well don't! It's much too short on you. You're growing too tall. The men don't like their women gangly, dear. You'd best put a stop to that. It's a good thing I bought you a new dress." Aunt Muriel shoved a bag in Ginny's hands. "Go upstairs and change immediately."

Next she turned to Ron. "You," She snarled.

Ron gulped audibly.

"Still rooting for the Cannons?" She sniffed.

He nodded.

"Fool!" She spat. "They were losers when I was a girl. And why do you have dirt on your face?"

Ron flushed and stammered, "Well, uh, I-"

"Never mind! I swear Molly, you really must educate your children better, they can't even do simple eye contact," Aunt Muriel berated her niece.

Mrs. Weasley began to puff up, but Mr. Weasley put a gentle hand on her arm.

She moved on to the twins. "You need to cut your hair. It's unseemly! Boys in my day would never go out the house with hair that long."

"Bill's hair is longer," Fred pointed out.

Aunt Muriel scowled. "William is getting much too reckless with those goblins as his co-workers. I expect better of you. Perhaps that's a mistake on my part. Are you still indulging in those childish tricks?"

As if on cue, Ginny screamed. "What _IS _this?"

Fred and George kept quiet.

"Percival!" Muriel barked.

Percy stood straighter, head up, hair combed, face clean. "Hello, Aunt Muriel." He dipped his head politely.

"Still wearing those horrid glasses, I see. No girl is ever going to want a man with glasses like that. I'm sure you're still without a partner. I know a lovely girl from a village outside of London."

"Actually, Aunt Muriel, I've been courting Penelope Clearwater," He said, unable to stop the smile spreading across his face.

"Don't descend stairs like that, you stupid girl!" She yelled. Ginny slowed down until her steps could no longer be heard.

"There! Isn't that dress much better than the last one?" Muriel said proudly.

Ron had a coughing fit.

Mrs. Weasley glared daggers at him until he stopped.

Harry was certain this was going to be one of the longest dinners he'd ever sat through.


	24. Chapter 24

**AN: After thinking it over for the past couple of days, I've decided that I can no longer continue this story. There are too many things going on for me to handle it. I hope you understand.**

**Did I get you? Happy April Fool's Day! I don't have too many people in my life that wouldn't get angry if I were to pull an April Fool's joke on them, so I figured I'd pull it on you guys. Every day, it feels like I couldn't possibly get any more followers and favorites than I have, because virutally every person under the sun has already clicked that lovely button. But it still keeps coming. The kids should be back at school next chapter. Super duper tons of thanks to reviewers Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER, LoveLifeForever, RRW, tylxor1, magitech, serialkeller, B00kw0rm92, MariusDarkwolf, Valentina Alexandrea Sparrow, Narcissa-Weasly, Spring Raine, Majerus, Kairan1979, geetac, AyumiFallassion, Firenze Fox, ElementKitsune, and red-jacobson. You're all so helpful.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

"Over here!" Alicia yelled to Katie. It was New Year's Eve, and Oliver had insisted on a practice in the freezing cold weather. Harry had gotten a pleasant surprise upon finding that everyone from the Chamber incident was there. He hadn't realized what that would entail. Namely, waking up at five on his day off in order to sit on a broomstick in the freezing cold.

"And Bell passes the Quaffle to Johnson—oops, sorry, that's Spinnet—do I really have to do this, Oliver?" Lee's voice was drowsy and impatient as he commented.

"Yes!" Oliver yelled back.

Alicia used his momentary distraction to make a shot.

"Good! Use every chance you can get! Ravenclaw is going to be ruthless, you guys," Oliver shouted.

"Would anyone like breakfast?" Mrs. Weasley screamed out the kitchen window.

Fred pumped his fist. "We'll be right down!"

Oliver groaned.

"Oliver, do you really think that this much practice is necessary?" Katie asked him, walking back towards the Burrow.

He straightened up immediately. "Of course it is. We have to win against Ravenclaw."

"We will," She assured him. "Especially now that Davies is off the team. He was one of their best players."

"I know, I just…" He sighed, frustrated. "This is gonna be my first game signed to Puddlemere."

She laughed. "That's what you're so worried about? Come on, Oliver. We can win this thing, but even if we don't, you can't win every game. I'm sure that the Keeper for Puddlemere doesn't win every game now."

He was silent for a moment. "They could still decide not to keep me anyway."

"If they break the contract, don't they have to pay you money or something?" She reminded him.

"I don't _want_ money," He told her earnestly. "I want to play for Puddlemere."

"And you will," She said certainly. "I know you will. You can do it!"

Oliver nodded and gave her a weak smile. The cement block in his stomach grew bigger.

* * *

Angelina was the first one done at the breakfast table. She stood abruptly and pulled her jacket back on, making her way to the door.

"Dear, where are you going?" Mrs. Weasley fussed, clearing away her plate.

"Oh, um, I'm just going to visit a friend." Her eyes slid toward George involuntarily.

"Well, have fun!" Mrs. Weasley called kindly.

"Yeah, have tons of fun with pretty boy Diggory," George grumbled.

Angelina's head whipped around. "What did you say?"

"Have fun with your friend," George said innocently.

She rolled her eyes and stalked out.

"We actually have to leave soon ourselves," Katie announced, gesturing toward Cormac.

"We do? Why?" Cormac asked.

"Y'know, for that thing," Katie said meaningfully.

"What thing?" Cormac repeated obliviously.

"_That_ thing," Katie ground out.

"Katie, I think it's pretty clear that he has no idea what you're talking about," Penny said in amusement.

"Let's just go," Katie growled at him.

"Er, okay," He said, following her out to the hallway.

"Next time I tell you there's going to be something we have to do, just pretend you know what I'm talking about," She told him angrily.

His heart beat faster. There would be a next time? When? What were they doing now, anyway? "Katie, what's going on?"

"We have to visit Leann."

"Leann Miles? The one that's in our year?" Cormac scratched his head. "Why are we visiting her?"

"Because shortly before break, we had an argument, and I want to apologize to her," Katie said, surreptitiously wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Okay. But why am I coming along?"

"I don't know. For moral support?" She tried.

"Oh, okay." He had a goofy grin on his face. Katie Bell wanted him around for moral support. _Don't screw this up_, he told himself.

Katie didn't need moral support. What she needed was proof. Proof that she and Cormac were just friends, and that Leann had nothing to worry about. Cormac was going with her to show that they weren't involved romantically at all. _Don't screw this up_, she told herself.

* * *

Fred was almost at the end of his rope. He'd been trying to talk to Alicia alone now for half an hour, and George was always there. He had finally discovered a downside to having a twin. How was he supposed to go with Alicia to Hogsmeade if George was always hovering?

"Hey Alicia, remember that time when we went swimming in the Black Lake?" He asked.

"No, you and I went swimming in the lake, Alicia and Angelina sat on the bank by that tree," George corrected.

"It was gross!" Alicia defended herself. "Why would I want to go swimming in that?"

Fred felt his anger rise. "George, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Yeah, sure."

The twins rose off the couch and into the hall.

"Look George, I know you're upset about Angelina, and I know you think it's dumb that she'd rather go hang out with that pansy Diggory, and I do too, but I'm trying to get somewhere with Alicia, and right now, you're kind of in the way."

George looked down. "Oh."

"Why don't you just go talk to Lee?" Fred asked.

"Um, alright. I'll go find him." George trudged up the stairs.

Fred sat back down next to Alicia. "Now, what were we talking about?"

"Where's George?" She wanted to know.

"He had some things he wanted to take care of," Fred waved it off.

Alicia still seemed troubled. "Fred, he seemed really upset about Angelina."

"He is. But I mean, he'll probably get over it soon. He's just a little angry that Diggory beat him to it, s'all." Even as Fred said it, he felt uncomfortable. He was lying, and he knew it. "Don't worry, everything will turn out alright."

"If you say so," Alicia acquiesced uneasily.

* * *

"I really hope she's home," Demelza said anxiously. She, Colin, and Ginny were on their way to Luna's house.

Ginny shrugged. "She said she would be."

"Does everyone in the Wizarding world have a weird house?" Colin wondered. Demelza couldn't agree more. The Lovegoods' house was a giant rook. It often looked like the Burrow had been added on to vertically, rather than horizontally. Malcolm Baddock had once showed the HPFC a picture of his house; or mansion, rather. With its imposing gates and black marble walls, Baddock Hall looked like something out of an old horror movie.

"It's not so bad," Ginny told them. "I once saw a picture of Malfoy Manor in the Prophet."

The three gave identical shudders.

Colin lifted his camera and clicked away at the odd structure. "Do you think Luna's dad would get angry if I took pictures of the inside?"

"Dunno. I suppose you'd have to ask him," Ginny said thoughtfully.

This time the trio knocked politely at the front door.

Xeno gave Demelza and Colin a bit of shock. With his wild light blond hair and his clear gray eyes, he looked a bit like a mad man. When he smiled, a few of his teeth appeared to be shining.

"Hello, Ginny. I'm afraid you and your friends just missed Luna. She said she was going to visit you."

"How could we not see her?" Demelza whispered to Ginny.

"She probably took the long way around," Ginny realized. "Come on, let's go."

Xeno began closing the curved door slowly.

"Wait!" Colin demanded.

The man stopped suddenly, turning to them with a ghost of a grin.

_Click!_

"Colin!" Demelza chastised.

"He looked picture worthy," Colin said meekly.

Xeno merely smiled and carried on as though nothing had happened.

"Let's go," Ginny ordered more forcefully.

The three hurried away.

"Hey, Ginny," Demelza said after a moment. "What was Luna's mum like?"

"I dunno," Ginny frowned. "The Lovegoods were always kind of…secretive? Dad said that Luna's mum worked on experiments, and that was how she died. Mum never let me go over to the Lovegoods, because she thought Xeno was weird. Now she invites him round all the time. I think she feels sorry for him. He never accepts though. Says he's too busy with the Quibbler."

Colin mulled this over for a bit. "Does Luna ever talk about her mum?"

"Not unless you ask her about it."

Demelza and Colin absorbed this information, reaching the same conclusion. There were always going to be some things that you just didn't know about one Miss Luna Lovegood.

* * *

"What is _he_ doing here?" Leann hissed.

"To prove a point," Katie spat back.

"What point? That you've won? Because I get it, okay? Everyone likes you better than grumpy old Leann." Leann waved her hands around in the air.

"No, that's not what I meant. Cormac and I are just friends. You can stop being so upset now. He's over here to help me show you that," Katie pleaded with Leann to understand.

"Oh really? Has someone told him that yet?" Leann pointed at Cormac, who was ogling Katie.

"He's not like that," Katie insisted. "He just wants to know what's taking so long, that's all."

"I bet," Leann scoffed.

Katie softened. "C'mon Leann, is a boy really worth our friendship?"

"It's not about a boy, okay?" Leann burst.

"Then what is it about?" Katie asked, raising her voice.

"It's about how apparently, I'm not good enough to be your friend anymore!" Leann screamed.

Cormac backed away quickly.

"What?" Katie gasped.

"Yeah! That's right! Ever since you started hanging out with all of them, it's like you don't even care who old Leann is! What's wrong with me? What's so bad about me? Is it because I never have these exciting stories to tell? What is it?" Leann whispered brokenly.

"Leann, I haven't been—"

"Yes, you have! Just go." Leann turned away.

Katie looked to Cormac, who appeared just as lost as she was. He gestured toward the fireplace, and she could only nod in defeat.

* * *

"Hey Harry," Hermione said, taking a seat next to him on a bench underneath an oak tree.

"Hey Hermione," He replied. He leaned forward, trying to get his back away from the cold metal.

"I saw you talking to Seamus, Dean, and Neville," Hermione mentioned casually.

"Yeah," He cleared his throat. "They wanted to know what happened with the Chamber, so I told them."

"Did you tell them about being a parselmouth, too?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Yeah. Dean didn't even know what it was. Seamus asked if I'd come over and tell the snakes in his yard to please find a new home. And Neville said that if I'd slept in the same room as him for a year and a half and hadn't tried to kill him, he was pretty sure I wasn't evil." Harry smiled at the memory.

"Weren't you worried they were gonna tell?" Hermione said, swinging her legs back and forth.

He shook his head. "At first I was, but then I realized that I trust them. Why?"

"I don't know. Lavender and Parvati wanted to know about the Chamber too, but I wasn't sure if I should tell them or not," She admitted.

"Why not? You trust them, don't you?"

"Yes, but it's not really that simple. I don't want them to think badly of you, or tell other people things that aren't true."

He laughed. "You don't have to ask me if it's okay."

"But it's your secret," She persisted. "You'd have to deal with the rumors, not me."

"Hermione, if you trust them, then tell them. If you don't, then you don't have to say anything. But I trust you."

All of the breath came whooshing out of her. "Thank you, Harry. That means a lot."

He smiled at her.

She smiled back.

* * *

"Yes!" Ron shouted, thudding down the stairs. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Oliver asked, bored. It was ten minutes till 1993, and Oliver still felt exactly the same about Puddlemere.

"It was on the radio." Ron pointed to the one sitting next to Oliver. "It's all over the place. The Cannons won a match against Ballycastle!"

"What?" Ginny said, shocked.

"Yeah! It's huge! They finally did it. This is the best New Year's ever!" He declared.

Katie stomped into the living room, Cormac trailing after her looking clueless.

"Did you hear?" Ron shouted.

Katie shot him a glare that could've frozen Snape in his place.

Angelina floated in with an angelic smile. "Hello everyone. Isn't today wonderful?"

"You heard, didn't you?" Ron said knowingly.

"Heard what?" She asked, confused.

Harry and Hermione snickered.

"Where's George?" Alicia asked Fred worriedly.

"Probably somewhere with Lee," He responded, trying not to show his concern.

George and Lee slid down the stair banister.

"Speak of the devil," Fred told her, masking his relief.

"You had to have heard!" Ron said to them.

"That the Cannons won the match?" Lee grinned.

"Oh, Ronniekins, I'm afraid you're the only one to hear that." George's smile looked dangerous.

"Indeed, I believe that radio was the only one to broadcast such an announcement," Lee agreed.

"Wait…the Cannons…didn't win?" Ron asked.

"470-20," George said cheerfully.

Ron let out a whimper before collapsing onto the couch next to Hermione and Harry.

"See, he was fine," Fred murmured to Alicia, struggling to deny the pang in his heart that George and Lee had pulled a prank without him.

Percy clapped his youngest brother on the back. "It's okay Ron. Just think, there's nowhere to go but up."

Penny nodded encouragingly. "I'm sure their luck will change eventually."

Ron moaned in despair.

"How was your friend?" George asked Angelina stiffly.

"My friend was fine." She avoided looking directly at him.

"Hurry, Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley called. "They're doing the countdown."

"_10…9…8…_" The radio crackled.

Penny leaned into Percy.

_"…7…"_

Harry and Hermione consoled Ron.

_"…6…"_

George and Angelina scooted away.

_"…5…"_

Oliver stared down at his Puddlemere contract.

_"…4…"_

Katie began to cry into Cormac's shoulder.

_"…3…"_

Fred's eyes bore holes into his twin's back.

_"…2…"_

Ginny, Luna, Colin, and Demelza made a pact.

_"…1…Happy New Year!"_

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley repeated their time old tradition.


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: I've been trying out a new method of outlining chapters. I think it helped a lot. For those of you who were getting worried about the unity lately, I promise, there's going to be some big events in the next chapter. Thanks again to all the followers and favorites. Special thanks to reviewers serialkeller, serenityselena, DarknessIsBliss, tumshie, Cassandra30, misteryman526, B00kw0rm92, mudbloodpotter05, draconic skysong, magical fan18, LoveLifeForever, Firenze Fox, Kairan1979, ElementKitsune, Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER, Lady Sabine of Macayhill, Tellur, and red-jacobson. Thanks so much!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise. **

"Hello students, and welcome back. I hope you had a wonderful holiday. As you can see, there have been some changes made to the staff," McGonagall said from the Head table, gesturing to two newcomers sitting there.

"The woman to the side of Professor Snape is Professor Andromeda Tonks. She will be taking over the position of Transfiguration professor."

Professor Tonks stood and waved. Harry watched her carefully. She had long, dark hair and dark eyes, looking rather uncomfortable being the center of attention.

"And the other addition to the staff is Professor Augusta Longbottom."

Every head at the Gryffindor table swiveled around to stare, dumbfounded, at the embarrassed Neville Longbottom. The chubby boy slid down in his seat, only to be hauled up by Seamus and Dean, sitting on either side of him.

Augusta Longbottom was an old woman with a stern expression. She wore an odd hat with a vulture perched on top. Her beady eyes seemed to be scolding Neville, and perhaps even the entire Great Hall, causing Harry to feel like hiding away. And Neville had to live with this woman?

"She will be teaching History of Magic," McGonagall continued.

"Do you think it's too late to drop that class?" Oliver whispered to Percy.

"I hope you will all give them a warm welcome. In other news, the Hogsmeade trip has been scheduled for this weekend."

George slumped in his seat, watching Angelina and Diggory's eyes meet across the hall.

Alicia smiled shyly at Fred, who grinned back. His mind, though, was more focused on how to make sure the date was a real date, not an outing between friends.

"And now, I think I've kept you from your meal long enough," McGonagall said.

Ron's stomach rumbled, echoing throughout the hall. He gazed resolutely ahead, refusing to acknowledge the incredulous glances his way. The food appeared on the plates and he dove in, not noticing the disgusted looks he was sent.

"What's your grandmother like?" Ginny asked Neville fearfully.

He swallowed his chicken. "Scary."

"She can't be that bad," Hermione said reasonably.

"Hermione, she wears a vulture on her head," Dean said. "That's pretty bad."

"Technically, it's a stuffed vulture," Neville corrected.

"Was it ever living?" Seamus asked eagerly.

"Er, I dunno. She's had that hat for as long as I can remember," Neville shrugged.

Demelza shuddered.

"Wonder what McGonagall had to do to get Binns to retire," Oliver mentioned, pouring himself some pumpkin juice.

"It must've taken a lot," Percy thought. "Sometimes it's like he doesn't even realize he's dead."

"Hogsmeade's going to be tons of fun, isn't it Fred?" Alicia chirped hopefully.

"Yeah, of course," Fred assured her, trying to imagine a Hogsmeade with just him and Alicia.

"Where do you wanna go first?" George asked her brightly.

"Oh, um, I'm not really sure," She frowned, deep in thought.

Fred smiled through his annoyance. "How about Madam Puddifoot's?"

Her frown deepened. "I don't know Fred, that's kind of more like a couple's place."

_Exactly_, he thought. He was willing to go anywhere if it meant he could be alone with her.

"Angelina, where are you going?" Alicia looked up, surprised.

"I have to go make plans with Cedric. I'll be right back," Angelina promised.

George began to savagely cut into his roast, stabbing the meat forcefully.

There was a solution for this, Fred just knew it. Something that would land both him and his brother a girl for Hogsmeade.

* * *

"Lavender, Parvati," Hermione called out nervously back in the dorms.

Parvati poked her head out of the curtains surrounding her bed, and Lavender leaned out of the bathroom.

"Can I talk to you guys about something really quick?"

Parvati opened her curtains silently. Lavender nodded, ducking back into the bathroom to check her hair.

"What's up?" She asked, joining Parvati on the bed.

"I just wanted to talk to you guys about the-"Hermione's breath got caught in her throat. "About the chamber."

Parvati's eyes grew wide. Lavender leaned forward.

_No going back now_, Hermione thought. She gulped. "It's um, I wasn't really sure if I could tell you guys before, and that's why I didn't."

"Oh Hermione, it's okay. You don't have to if you don't want to," Parvati insisted. Lavender nodded reluctantly.

"No, really, I want to," Hermione told them. "I just…"

"_Do you trust them?"_

And that was the problem. Hermione did trust them. But trust was hard. How did she know that she was right? Hermione had to be right. This wasn't some homework assignment, where she could just go back and start over. It was made even worse by the fact that she wasn't dealing with clear cut boundaries. She was dealing with people. People were unpredictable and wild, and Lavender and Parvati were the most unpredictable of all.

What if she had been reading them wrong this whole time? What if they weren't really her friends at all? What if, as soon as she made them angry, the whole story ended up around Hogwarts, twisted to portray Harry in the worst light possible?

"Harry's a parselmouth," Hermione blurted out, heart sinking. Please don't make me regret this.

Lavender could only look at her blankly. As a muggleborn, the word held no meaning to her.

Parvati just nodded calmly.

"You—you don't care?" Hermione whispered, shocked.

"Parselmouths are treated differently in India," She remarked casually. "It's not really a bad thing. Actually, they can be seen as heroes. Snakes are important creatures. If you can talk to them, well, you must be blessed with such a talent."

"Wait, I'm confused," Lavender moaned, flopping back on the bed. "What's a parselmouth again?"

"A parselmouth is someone who can talk to snakes," Hermione informed her.

"Oh." Lavender sat up again. "That's it? What's so bad about that?"

"They're sort of looked down upon in England," Parvati said.

"Why?" Lavender snorted. "Seems like being able to talk to animals would be a cool thing."

"Salazar Slytherin was a parselmouth. People think it's an evil trait."

"That's so stupid!" Lavender exclaimed. "Who cares? That's like just because some blonde guy was bad, that people think all blondes must be. It's ridiculous!"

Hermione's heart felt like it was ready to burst. "That's what I think. But I wasn't sure how you guys were gonna take it. It's kinda supposed to be a secret. I just didn't know…" She trailed off guiltily.

"Oh, we won't tell anyone," Lavender swore. "Actually, I think it's pretty wicked."

"Do you think I could ask him about it?" Parvati wondered. "My sister would be more interested in the technical part of it, and she wouldn't ask him any _good_ questions."

"I think he'd like that." Hermione was relieved. One crisis averted.

* * *

"Welcome to Transfiguration." Professor Tonks surveyed her sixth year class with apprehension. Already the Slytherins were causing trouble, and class had literally just started. "I know some of you may be a little…nervous about having a new professor, but I assure you, we'll be having a very good time in this class."

One Slytherin in the back of the classroom scoffed.

"Excuse me?" Andromeda called. "You, what's your name?"

"M'name's Bole," He mumbled.

"Mmm. I can see we'll be needing a seating chart for our next lesson. Care to tell me what you find so amusing, Mr. Bole?"

"Just that Transfiguration can't be fun. It's boring," He grumbled.

"Oh, I see. Well, I hope I can change your mind this year," Andromeda said firmly. Inside, she was shaking like a leaf. Her first class and she had gotten put with sixth years. What had Minerva been thinking? Why couldn't she have started out with something easy, like first years? They were so easily impressed, and these children weren't even really children anymore. At least, they didn't like to be thought of as children.

"So, what do you usually do first in class?" She asked, attempting to seem authoritative.

"McGonagall usually likes to know who's here before she starts," One Slytherin jeered at her.

"Oh, right. I have to call role, don't I?" Andromeda sat at the desk, feeling warm and humiliated. She sped through role, the names barely registering in her flustered brain. One stuck though: Percy Weasley. A quick look confirmed that he was related to Charlie. Nymphadora had been so fond of the dragon tamer. Percy didn't appear to be anything like his brother personality wise.

"What chapter did you leave off on?" She asked, flipping through the teacher's book.

"Chapter 10," Percy told her helpfully.

"Alright. Alright, so have you talked about this at all?" She glanced up to find a sea of blank faces. She sighed. "I guess not. This should be interesting…"

One floor down, all of the second year students were paying attention to Professor Longbottom, but that was out of more than a little bit of fear that she would find a way to tell their parents if they put even one toe out of line.

Augusta kept her stuffed vulture hat on the corner of her chair. Minerva had requested that she please not wear it during class, because it frightened some of the younger students. Augusta had scoffed at that. If those kids were truly scared of that hat, then her Neville was braver than she thought.

"Welcome to your new History of Magic class." She paced up and down the aisles, pausing to look each student in the eye. "I understand that your old class didn't teach much real history. I don't plan on being here for very long—I'm much too old to be teaching you for the rest of your years here—but I do plan on you leaving this school with at least some knowledge of the olden days."

Hermione bounced in her seat, convinced that this would be a class like no other.

"I realize that some of you may not be used to having to stay awake-"

She kicked Malfoy's desk, and he jerked up.

"-Or taking notes-" She nodded approvingly toward Hermione.

"-but that will change now. I will expect nothing less than your best work. I want to see you using your brains for each and every assignment that I give to you. If I feel as though you have not done your personal best, then I will hand your assignment back to you, to be corrected and improved. We will not be covering the Goblin wars, except for the rebellion against the Ministry in 1576 and the most recent battle in 1954. Instead, we will be placing an emphasis on important historical figures and the many laws within the Ministry. Understood?"

She whipped around to see the class. Neville couldn't help but feel as though she were staring directly at him.

"Understood?" She barked again.

"Understood," The class murmured, taken aback.

* * *

"Wood!" Clarence Scott, captain of the Hufflepuff team, jogged to catch up with the brooding Scot.

"What do you want?" Oliver asked gloomily.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what Roger did," He explained.

Oliver waved him off. "It's not your fault Davies is a bleeding moron."

"Still…I wish there was some way someone could help him." Scott looked up meaningfully.

"Oh no," Oliver said immediately, stumbling backwards. "I'm never going to be nice to that git again. Who knows what he'll do?"

"C'mon Wood," Scott pleaded. "He doesn't even really trust me anymore."

"Well, no wonder, you're always using your Hufflepuff niceness to get him to do stuff!" Oliver retorted.

"Hufflepuff niceness?" Scott questioned innocently.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I don't owe you anything." Oliver folded his arms across his chest resolutely.

"That's true. But I do know that Penelope Clearwater has been getting very upset about Roger's behavior lately. And I know for a fact that blokes generally don't like to see their girlfriends upset. And when blokes find out that their best friends could've done something to avoid a huge mess, well, let's just say it's not very pleasant…"

Oliver blinked rapidly. "Hufflepuffs are evil."

"That we are," Scott said cheerfully. "Too bad no one will ever believe you, yeah?"

* * *

Cormac had his mind made up. Hogsmeade was close, and he had to get in quick. Today, he was going to ask Katie Bell to go to Hogsmeade with them. Even if he had to say that it was as friends, he was determined to push on and ask her. He was a Gryffindor, after all, and weren't Gryffindors brave? Luckily, just as he was making his way around the lake, he spotted her.

"Katie-"

"Cormac-"

They both blushed.

"You first," He said, nodding towards her.

"I was wondering if you could do me a favor?" She rushed, smiling at him.

"Um, yeah, I guess so."

"Could you ask Leann out to Hogsmeade?" She begged, giving him the puppy dog eyes.

Of all the things she could've asked him, he definitely hadn't been expecting that. "What?"

"It's just that, she's been really lonely lately," She lied. "And I was thinking that if I could get someone to go with her to Hogsmeade, then maybe we'd be friends again. You're the only person I can trust to do this right, Cormac."

Although he was pleased to hear that she trusted him, he still wasn't entirely convinced.

"Please Cormac? It would mean so much to me," She pleaded.

He sighed and gave in. "Alright. But I don't have to keep this up, right?"

"Right," She smiled. She reached up to hug him. "Thank you Cormac!"

"Yeah, no problem," He said dreamily. Katie Bell had just hugged him. It wasn't a date, but it was something.

* * *

Fred, George, and Alicia were in the Common Room after classes. Fred was ready to put his plan in motion. Well, almost ready. There were a few key components that were missing.

"Hey, Alicia," He said, heart beating out of his chest. "Y'know, George and I have always wondered, how is it that you can tell us apart every time?"

She giggled. "That's an easy one. Your hair always sticks up just a little right here. George's hair lies flat."

He reached up and touched his head. Sure enough, there was a tiny tuft of hair sticking straight up. He smiled. His plan had just gotten a little bit clearer.

He stood and stretched. "C'mon George, we gotta go talk to Lee about that prank."

George stood as well, pretending to know what was going on. "See you later, Alicia."

She waved goodbye and turned back to her Potions homework.

"So where are we going?" George muttered.

"You're gonna have to go talk to Lee about it for a bit. Distract him for as long as you can," Fred instructed.

George nodded, slipping away, not suspecting a thing.

Often the twins had pranks that they wouldn't tell the other about. Not entirely, anyway. In that respect, they were always surprising each other. So George didn't find it strange at all that Fred was being a little secretive. It worked out to Fred's advantage.

He turned down the hallway, quickly finding the meeting place Angelina and Diggory had agreed on. He had intercepted their owls back and forth, hoping he wouldn't have to resort to outright spying. Unfortunately, Diggory was rather suspicious, and refused to give anything concrete in mail.

Angelina was already there, waiting anxiously. Fred couldn't help but think that George never would've kept her waiting. _That's why you're doing this_, he told himself. _ So that Angelina gets with a guy she deserves and so that George gets with a girl he really likes. And maybe partly because you want to get some alone time with your girlfriend._

"Hey Angie," Cedric said brightly, striding down the hall towards the dark girl.

"Hey Cedric," Angelina sighed breathily.

Fred felt like puking.

"You wanna head down to the kitchens?" Cedric suggested.

Fred felt like groaning. How was he supposed to spy on them in the kitchens?

"Sure," Angelina agreed.

"Great! There's a back entrance near the Hufflepuff Common Room. Let's go!"

Fred grinned. He'd go in the front entrance, and then hide in a house elf's quarters. It helped that the house elves loved him. He had a perfect view of Angelina and Cedric, and they couldn't even see him. He carefully watched them, but it was mostly Cedric he was paying attention to. The plan was going to work. It had to work.


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: Hey guys! I wasn't planning to write this until tomorrow, but inspiration struck, and so I obeyed the muse. Also, I forgot to give a shout out to Spring Raine last chapter for suggesting Augusta Longbottom for History prof, so I apologize for that. Thanks, as always, to the tons of readers who make this possible. Thanks to the followers and favorites out there for being so awesome! And, of course, loads of thanks to reviewers Lady Sabine of Macayhill, Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER, Majerus, Guest, B00kw0rm92, ElementKitsune, MariusDarkwolf, Firenze Fox, A Lady of Time, mudbloodpotter05, Arrow Riddari, Kairan1979, serialkeller, Tellur, RRW, and red-jacobson.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

Cormac shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked slowly on his heels. He was waiting just outside of the Great Hall for Leann. The girl had been overjoyed when he asked her to Hogsmeade, despite the fact that he hadn't been all that enthused while doing so. He couldn't stop thinking of Katie. Her request had just cemented what he'd refused to believe for so long: Katie didn't like him. At least, not like that. Leann certainly did, but Leann was no Katie.

"Hi Cormac!" Leann popped up behind him, causing him to jump out of his skin.

"Oh, hey Leann. We should probably get going," He told her, motioning toward the carriages.

"Right!" She trilled, skipping over to them. "I'm so excited, aren't you?" She asked.

He nodded glumly, wondering why she just stood outside the carriage. Lee Jordan coughed nearby, and Cormac turned. Lee quickly helped a girl Cormac had never seen before into a carriage. Cormac groaned inwardly. Leann couldn't honestly expect him to help her into the carriage, could she? But judging by her tapping foot and impatient frown, that was precisely what she expected him to do.

Sighing, he gave her his hand. She took it gingerly, giving him a happy smile. He returned it weakly. Katie never would've had him do that. She would've scoffed if he'd tried.

"Where do you wanna go first?" Leann chirped, once seated inside the carriage.

"Honeydukes?" He suggested.

"Ooh, fun!" She beamed at him. "Good idea!"

Cormac leaned back in the carriage and avoided her gaze. He knew she'd been waiting for this for a while. You'd have to be blind not to notice Leann's infatuation with him. He'd purposefully chosen to pretend he didn't notice her. It was easier than being nice and have her get the wrong idea. He wanted to be there with Katie. Katie, who loved to step in puddles and pull herself up into carriages. He certainly didn't want to be there with Leann, who had done something to her curls to make them stiff and fake. Katie would never use hairspray. But Katie wanted him to pay attention to Leann, so he did.

* * *

Meanwhile, Fred, George, and Alicia were sitting at the Three Broomsticks, laughing and having a good time. Well, George and Alicia were having a good time. Fred was sitting next to his brother, watching the cobblestone road in front of the bar. Angelina and Cedric would have to pass through there soon, and when they did, Fred would be waiting for them.

"Fred?" Alicia called.

"What?" He snapped back to the conversation.

"I was just wondering what you wanted. I was gonna go up there and get the food for us."

"Oh, you don't have to do that," He said immediately, his manners kicking in. He was about to go get it for her, when he realized that Angelina and Cedric might pass by when he was doing so. "Um, George'll do it."

His twin and his date both gave him confused look.

"Uh, sure, I guess so," George agreed, sliding out of the booth.

As soon as he was gone, Alicia leaned in closer. "Fred, are you alright?"

"Yeah, of course." He dismissed her concerns.

"Are you sure? You just seem a little…distracted." She struggled to get her point across.

Fred's eyes almost popped out of his skull when he saw Angelina and Cedric making their way down the path. "Uh, I'm okay. I'll be right back, I have to go talk to George."

Luckily, he met up with George as his brother was still standing in line. "George, c'mere!" He whispered conspiratorially.

"What's going on?" George said, intrigued.

"Give me your coat," Fred hissed.

"What?" George said in disbelief.

"Give me your coat," Fred repeated insistently. "I'll trade you mine, just hurry up!"

George handed his coat off to his brother, looking bewildered.

Fred stepped forward and ruffled George's hair. "Perfect," He proclaimed.

"Fred, what are you doing?" George asked.

"Now, when you get up there, order my food, but not yours," Fred instructed him, glancing over his shoulder.

"Fred, seriously-"

"I'll explain later," Fred promised. "Now, just remember, you're me!"

* * *

"Attention, everyone!" McGonagall shouted over the commotion at the latest staff meeting. "I know we haven't had one of these in a while, but that doesn't mean you can start acting like barbarians!" She scolded.

Augusta Longbottom had never particularly cared for children. They were irresponsible and reckless, not to mention incredibly ignorant. So why had she accepted a position at Hogwarts? Namely because, as her new boss Minerva had pointed out, it would allow her to keep a close eye on Neville. She had to make sure the boy was progressing well. Who knew what would happen when he was thrust out into the real world, where there was no one to defend him?

But there was another reason too. Augusta didn't like the way the world was being run right now. She didn't like seeing today's youth so uneducated. And what better way to fix it than by seeing to their education herself? It was a great idea, in her mind. Even better when she knew she wouldn't have to stay there for long.

There was one thing Augusta hadn't been expecting, however. She hadn't realized that her new co-workers were so…strange. There was Severus Snape, who she knew was a Death Eater, and who she didn't even pretend to like. There was Andromeda Tonks, who was the sister of that blasted Bellatrix. Argus Filch just made Augusta uncomfortable, and for a woman who had lived through three wars, it was a foreign feeling.

Pomona Sprout and Filius Flitwick had seemed normal at first, but whenever the two were in the same room, it turned into a warzone. Augusta couldn't stand the way they both tried to seize the upper hand in any situation. Septima Vector was a quiet, calculating woman that made Augusta feel as though she were constantly being studied and analyzed.

Charity Burbage was odd in her constant cheer and care of her house. Nothing seemed to make the woman feel bad, and Augusta wanted to know why. Rubeus Hagrid was as uncouth as she remembered, loving those horrid beasts he called pets and having the same thick accent. Even her supervisor, Minerva McGonagall, was prone to moments of extreme anger.

It was a rather unique group of people, and Augusta found herself wondering how they never tore each other's heads off. So at the staff meeting, seeing these very same people appear ready to tear down the school in their rage was a bit of a shock.

"Now, everyone needs to just stay calm, and—where is Gilderoy?" Minerva glared at an empty chair.

There was a collective murmur in which everyone agreed that they hadn't seen him.

Minerva threw her hands up in the air. "He is so unprofessional! In other matters, how have the two of you been settling in to Hogwarts?" She inquired politely.

"Oh, it's going…well," Andromeda lied. She had felt like crying on Monday with the sixth year Slytherins, but everything else had gone smoothly. Especially after she revealed that she was Draco Malfoy's aunt to a class of second years.

For a moment Augusta considered airing out all the grievances she had, but she decided to save that for later. "Fine, so far," She said breezily.

"That's good. Very good." Minerva seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after finding that at least one thing wasn't terrible. "Now, Severus, I hear that we ran into some trouble when Aurora and I were in the Hospital Wing."

Severus Snape was a very sour man. Augusta had tried to see past his unfortunate appearance, but she discovered the inside of the man was just as greasy and black as his hair.

"I didn't come across any trouble at all," He said acerbically. "I believe some other members of the staff were unhappy with my decision to comply with the law."

"Filius, Pomona, is this true?" She asked, business-like.

The two instantly began talking over each other, trying to be the one that Minerva trusted to listen to.

"Enough!" She shouted.

The pair fell silent.

"Charity," She said kindly, turning to face the Gryffindor Head. "Would you care to tell me what occurred during my unfortunate rest period?"

It was the first time Augusta had ever seen the blonde's smile waver. "Oh, I don't know if I'm really the best one to say. I was very pre-occupied with the Gryffindors, you see."

"Perhaps it would be best if we discussed this matter in private?" Minerva suggested gently.

Charity nodded shyly.

"I'm here!" Lockhart burst in, stumbling around like a drunken fool.

"Gilderoy, what is the matter with you?" Minerva demanded, standing up to look the man in the eyes.

"I wesh just off doing shum shtuff," He slurred.

"Were you drinking?" Charity gasped.

"Really," Vector tsked. "It's not even noon!"

"No, I'm fine," He said, straightening up. It appeared that even drunk, Lockhart knew when to keep his trap shut for the sake of his job. He walked a shaky line to his seat and slid into it, leaning forward comically.

Andromeda, who was sitting next to him, wrinkled her nose distastefully.

Augusta had typically been a housewife. She had only had a few jobs in her lifetime, but she was certain this was the most entertaining staff meeting she'd ever been to.

* * *

Fred was the only person sitting by himself in Madam Puddifoot's. Madam Puddifoot herself came out to glare at him for it. The small café, if it could be called that, was known as the place for couples to go to. Or rather, the place for girls to drag their respective partners to. Fred, as a single male wearing dark clothes, was quite bad for their image.

But Fred wasn't really there to cause a ruckus. At least, he didn't mean to draw any attention to himself. He was really there to watch Angelina and Cedric drink tea. He had a menu in his hands, and every ten seconds, he peeked over the top of it to look at the couple. They talked a lot, but Cedric never once made her laugh. That was like a sign to Fred. George could make Angelina laugh, and he did it a lot. Wasn't that something a good boyfriend should do? Granted, Fred wasn't being a very good boyfriend now, but that was because he was busy being a good brother. He'd make up for it later.

He'd managed to convince the only waitress on duty, through no small amount of flirting, to let him carry the tray to Cedric and Angelina. He'd been very careful in which cup he set in front of Cedric. And now he only had to wait for Diggory to take a sip, and his plan would fall into place. The only problem was that Cedric and Angelina wouldn't stop talking! It seemed to be getting quite heated too, because Angelina was glaring daggers at the boy, and her angry voice could be heard over the sound of various duos locking lips.

Indeed, for a moment, it seemed as though Cedric and Angelina's relationship would end all by itself, without Fred doing a thing. But then it appeared as though Diggory was apologizing, and Angelina was forgiving him. Fred wanted to scream. She couldn't seriously be just giving in to him, could she?

But then the tea saved the day. Cedric took a slow, cautious drink of the hot liquid. Fred held his breath. Cedric let out a content sigh before setting the cup down. And then he began to speak.

Fred had put a little something he liked to call "Verbal Diarrhea" into Diggory's tea. Every thought you had came rushing out of your mouth before you could stop it. Fred had been taking a big chance with it, because if Cedric didn't have any bad thoughts, then Angelina would just end up thinking he was sweet. Fred moved a little closer to hear better.

"You're really beautiful!" Cedric blurted out.

Angelina looked down modestly. "Oh, thank you!"

And then Cedric began complimenting certain parts of her anatomy, and Angelina began to get angry.

"What the hell, Cedric?" She shouted.

"I didn't mean to say that," He told her quickly.

"Are you sorry?" She shrieked.

"No, of course not!" He snorted, before clapping his hands over his mouth.

"It's like I can't stop it!" He moaned.

"What do you mean?" Angelina asked worriedly.

"I'm saying everything!" He groaned. "What's wrong with me?"

"Yes, what is wrong with you?! You keep talking about my-"

"I can't help it! They're just so-" He broke off, biting down on his hand. "I think it was the tea," He admitted.

"The tea?" Angelina picked up the cup and sniffed it experimentally. She shrugged, but just as she was setting it down, she saw a small tuft of ginger hair.

"You!" She growled.

Fred threw the menu down and began backing away.

"Which one are you?" She screamed.

"I told you so!" Cedric declared triumphantly, before slamming his head down and talking to the tablecloth.

They had caught the attention of the whole café. Madam Puddifoot was coming towards Fred, looking very, _very_ threatening in her apron covered in little hearts.

Fred didn't know what to do. So he did the only thing he could think of: he ran.

* * *

Cormac was tired. He'd been hauling around Leann's purchases all day, with Lee tailing them to make sure his date went perfectly. If this was how dating was, then Cormac was prepared to be alone forever. He was positive that Katie didn't even like to shop, but that when she did, she wouldn't make him carry everything.

"I really want to sit down soon. All this shopping is starting to tire me out," Leann announced.

Cormac felt like laughing. _She_ was tired? He had done virtually everything but think for her.

"Let's go to Madam Puddifoot's!" She clapped her hands together happily and stared up at him pleadingly.

He had come to hate that look. Leann made it whenever she wanted something and she didn't think he was likely to give it to her. Cormac had been bending to her every whim, all out of respect for Katie. Well, it was really more than respect, but nonetheless, he still felt as though he owed the girl.

"Alright," He acquiesced.

Leann cheered and began racing towards the horrifying café. Cormac dragged his feet, along with nine bags and packages, two of which were "very fragile". He couldn't wait to get in there, lean back in a chair, and drink some tea.

Unfortunately for Cormac, when Madam Puddifoot's was in the weeds, they weren't very thorough in cleaning their dishes. One quick swipe around the cup's rim and a forceful shake to get out the liquid, and the cup was handed to a new customer. Cormac had the dubious honor of receiving Cedric Diggory's old cup, which still had remnants of Verbal Diarrhea at the bottom.

"Cormac," Leann began, a peculiar expression on her face.

"Yeah?" He asked, directly after swallowing his tea.

"Why did you choose yesterday to ask me to Hogsmeade?" She glanced up at him, her large doe eyes making him feel unbearably guilty.

"Katie wanted me to," He blurted out.

"What?" She drew back, eyes welling up with tears.

Cormac found that once he started talking, he seemed unable to stop. "She wanted me to ask you to Hogsmeade so that you two could be friends again. I really wanted to ask her, but I don't think she likes me. I wasn't going to, but she's really pretty and nice and she smells good, so I said I would."

"So you don't like me?" She asked, voice warbling. Her mascara was beginning to smudge.

"No," Cormac said bluntly.

"Oh. I see. Well, you can tell Katie that we'll never be friends after this. No, don't bother, I'll tell her myself," Leann decided, storming away.

"Mate, what's wrong with you?" Lee said, coming up to Cormac and shaking his head.

"Oh, just stuff it."

* * *

Fred frantically signaled to George, who thankfully got the hint and excused himself from Alicia.

"What did you do?" George asked upon seeing his twin's harried appearance.

"Not right now, just give me back my coat," He said, looking out the window fearfully. He patted down his brother's hair, and the two walked back to the booth.

"Oh, hey George," Alicia greeted him happily. "Where have you been?"

"Uh, just, y'know, with Lee," George fumbled.

"Oh, cool," Alicia said. "Did you have fun?"

"Oh, yeah, loads," George nodded.

Angelina came dashing in, spotting their booth almost immediately.

"Which one of you was it?" Her hair fizzled and popped with her anger. George could only think that she looked quite beautiful.

"What are you talking about?" Alicia asked, stumped.

Angelina grabbed her best friend by the arm and hauled her over to a corner. "Alicia, have they both been here the whole time?"

"N-no, George went off to give us a little space," Alicia stammered. "Angelina, what's going on?"

"Which one is George?" Angelina demanded, ignoring Alicia's question.

"The one on the outside of the booth," Alicia told her, confused.

"Perfect," Angelina smiled evilly. "We're about to have a talk."

"George," She called out sweetly. "Can we talk for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure." He slipped out of the booth, looking as though he didn't have a care in the world.

It made Angelina's blood boil. How dare he pretend he was innocent? She had seen him! She knew he was there. There was no way he could worm his way out of it, not when he was caught in the act. And she even had Alicia to back her up.

"Would you care to explain?" Angelina ground out, keeping a tight lid on her anger.

"Explain what?"

Angelina felt her eyes grow wide in disbelief. "Explain how you just ruined what was supposed to be a perfect day, you jerk! Do you know how many girls would kill to get a date with Cedric? And then you just had to come in and destroy it!"

"Angelina, I don't know what you're talking about," He insisted.

"I can't believe you! I saw you. You did something to his tea. You just hate him so much, you can't stand to see me with him! Well, guess what George Weasley? Cedric has decided that dating me isn't very good for him, so I guess this will be our first and only date. I hope you're happy!" She spat defiantly, turning and running back to the castle.

* * *

Katie Bell was floating on cloud nine when she saw Leann dashing back to the castle.

"Leann! What's wrong?" She wanted to know.

Leann turned on her instantly. The make-up that Leann had so carefully done this morning was smeared all around her face, making her look like a bad clown. Her eyes were rimmed red, and her hair was mussed up. But what shocked Katie most was the anger in Leann's eyes.

"What's wrong?" She shrieked. "What's wrong is that apparently, I'm so pathetic, that the only way Cormac would ever go out with me is when the pretty Katie Bell asks him to!"

Katie swallowed. "Leann, please, it's not like that."

"Cormac told me!" Leann shouted. "He told me that you wanted him to ask me to Hogsmeade. And you know, all day he had me believing that he was such a perfect gentleman, because he did everything I wanted him to. And it turns out, the only reason he did that was because of you!"

"Leann-"

"Just tell me why, Katie," Leann begged, softening. "Why did you do it? Why did you have him lie to me like that?"

"I thought it was what you wanted," Katie said lamely, crying.

Leann shook her head bitterly. "All I wanted was for us to be friends again."

"That's-that's what I wanted, too," Katie confessed, swiping at her eyes.

"It just didn't really seem like it," Leann told her. "I just—you didn't ever talk to me anymore. You were always off doing some fun thing with someone else. And it was like—gosh, Katie, you have so many friends, but I only have you. And then when you weren't wearing that necklace any longer, I thought that maybe you were trying to tell me something."

Katie smiled as comprehension dawned on her. "That's what this whole thing was about? Geez, Leann, next time you have a problem, just let me know. You could come along any time you want."

"Really?" Leann sniffed.

"Really," Katie vowed.

Leann gave a watery laugh. "Um, you know, there's a shop in Hogsmeade that sells friendship necklaces. We still have some time left before the shops close."

Katie beamed. "I'd like that. Besides, who needs boys anyway?"

The two girls laughed and marched arm in arm back to Hogsmeade.


	27. Chapter 27

**AN: Sorry if I didn't respond to some of your reviews, I've been super busy lately! I'm sure many of you will be happy to read this chapter, because it holds something you've been anticipating for a while now. Also, see if you can guess at some of the minor pairings at the end of this chapter. Thanks to all the awesome readers out there. Oodles of thanks to the followers and favoriters. Bunches and bunches of thanks to reviewers elmoryakhan, Gracfully, TertiusArmada, mudbloodpotter05, Cassandra30, serenityselena, Firenze Fox, Lady Sabine of Macayhill, mrrlyn, Books are air, draconic skysong, shushinking, Majerus, MariusDarkwolf, Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER, Tellur, B00kw0rm92, ElementKitsune, Kairan1979, geetac, serialkeller, Wonderbee31, and Parahelion Zenith. We might be able to break 600 soon guys!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise. **

"Isn't he the greatest?" Lavender sighed dreamily.

"He is," Parvati agreed, gazing down at _Magical Me_.

"Oh, give me a break!" Seamus complained loudly.

Lavender's head whipped around to glare at him. "Excuse me?"

"You're being ridiculous!" He snorted. "There's nothing great about that buffoon! Nothing! Face it, Brown, Lockhart's just a big fake."

"He is not!" Lavender retorted hotly.

"Oh yeah? I'll bet you anything that he is," Seamus challenged.

"Where's the proof?" She snapped.

"Dean and I'll find it," Seamus swore.

Dean's head snapped up. "Whoa, whoa, don't bring me into this!"

"Will you excuse us for a minute?" Seamus asked the girls politely, dragging Dean over to a corner. "Listen," He hissed, getting up close to the taller boy's face. "We can finally make all those girls shut up about bloody Lockhart. You've been moaning on about them for weeks!"

"Yeah, but it's not like there's anything we can do about it." Dean shook his head.

"Yes there is!" Seamus insisted. "We just have to find a way. It has to be something that even Lavender and Parvati can't doubt."

When he saw Dean was still conflicted, he groaned. "Come on. For me?" He begged.

Dean relented. "Alright. But we have to do this right. We need to come up with a plan."

"Oh yeah, of course." Seamus nodded vigorously. "Let's go tell 'em!"

The pair trudged back over to Lavender and Parvati.

"We've got it!" Seamus declared triumphantly.

"Really? What's your master plan, then?" Lavender asked loftily, examining her nails.

Dean faltered. "That…that's classified. Top secret, y'know. We'll get back to you, when we think it's safe."

Parvati and Lavender stared back at him.

"Safe?" Parvati said incredulously. "Why isn't it safe here? Who's gonna tell on us? Neville?"

"Maybe!" Seamus blustered. "Look, we'll just get back with you, okay?"

"Okay," Lavender said calmly. "Parvati and I'll be waiting."

"Hang on, I never agreed to this," Parvati spoke up.

"But you're in, aren't you?" Lavender asked knowingly.

Parvati flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Yeah, I guess," She conceded.

"Then it's settled," Dean prompted, relieved.

"Shake on it?" Seamus suggested.

Lavender nodded and put her hand out daintily.

Seamus carefully spit onto his hand and started reaching for hers. She quickly pulled back.

"Er, we'll just take your word for it, shall we?" She proposed.

The two sides approved, and each felt certain they were about to witness the other being turned into fools.

* * *

"Angelina!" Fred called desperately.

The dark girl lengthened her stride, struggling to stay ahead without seeming obvious.

"Angelina, come on!"

She turned around suddenly, startling him to a halt. The two were on the Hogwarts grounds, fresh out of Herbology class. Fred had told Alicia and George that he would catch up with them later, spying an opportunity to finally apologize. The fateful Hogsmeade trip had been a month earlier, and the match against Hufflepuff had gone surprisingly well, considering half of the team was in a row. Angelina had still refused to listen to either twin.

"Which one are you?" She barked at him.

Fred gulped. "Fred," He said truthfully.

Her eyes narrowed. "And what do you want to say to me? Because I'm not about to forgive your brother."

"You don't have to," He blurted out. He cursed. "That came out wrong. What I mean is, you don't have to forgive George, you have to forgive me. I mean, you don't have to forgive me, I was just hoping that you'd stop hating George. Wait, I mean—ugh!" He kicked a nearby rock, stubbing his toe. "Argh!" He hopped up and down in pain.

Angelina felt the corners of her mouth lift up, and stubbornly forced them back down.

"Can I start at the beginning?" He pleaded, toe still throbbing.

"That'd probably be a good idea," She replied, beginning to smile before remembering to frown instead.

"When you saw George, that wasn't George. It was me. In Madam Puddifoot's. I'm the one who put that stuff in Cedric's tea. George didn't know anything about it, I swear." He held up his hands, as though doing so would prove his twin's innocence.

"Why?" She demanded harshly. "I could understand George doing it, because he hates the fact that I'm—that I was going out with Cedric, but why you?"

"Do you even know why George doesn't want you dating Diggory?" Fred asked, dodging the question.

Angelina slowly shook her head.

"'Kay, well, don't tell him I told you this, but it's 'cause he likes you, okay?" Fred shuffled his feet.

"George _likes_ me?" She asked in disbelief.

"Well, yeah. I thought he was making it pretty clear."

"I didn't know!" She claimed.

"Didn't you? Isn't that why you went out with pretty boy Diggory? To make him jealous? If that's what you were planning, it really backfired. All he did was mope around because he thought you didn't like him," Fred snapped, growing irritated as he remembered his original reasoning behind the plan.

"The reason I went out with Cedric is because I didn't think George would ever ask me. I thought that he must not like me, then, if he wouldn't ask me to Hogsmeade."

Fred scoffed. "Yeah right. George practically died when Diggory beat him to it."

Angelina felt her face grow hot at the very thought of George Weasley being her date to Hogsmeade. "All of this doesn't explain why you'd do that to Cedric," She said, trying to get back on track.

Fred cringed. He'd been hoping he wouldn't have to reveal that. "Because I knew he wasn't going to. And it just got sort of annoying having to watch him pine after you all the time. I mean, I got my girl, why shouldn't he get his?"

Angelina cleared her throat. "So you admit it then? You sabotaged my date with Cedric for George?"

Fred nodded, turning away out of embarrassment.

"Fred, wait!"

He wheeled back around, only to double over from pain as a fist connected with his gut. He let out a muffled shriek.

"That's for being a terrible friend and ruining my date," She growled. What she did next took him by surprise. She hugged him tightly around the middle. "And that's for being an amazing brother and helping George." She let go and took a step back, smiling.

Fred nodded again, still in immense pain.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find a certain ginger." Angelina set off with a spring in her step.

"Angelina, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm pretty sure Percy's already taken," He wheezed.

She threw a very rude hand gesture over her shoulder.

Fred chuckled and rubbed his sore stomach. "That girl sure has a mean left hook," He mused.

* * *

Harry Potter lay stretched out on his four-poster bed, contemplating his impending doom. No, not _that_ kind of doom. Rather, the doom that everyone around him seemed to be going through right now. The doom that would be his teen years. Teenagers, Harry had learned, were some of the most frightening beasts in the world. Quidditch practice had been unbearable the past few weeks. Angelina, Alicia, and the twins were wrapped up in a mess. Oliver had fretted over the match with Ravenclaw, despite the fact that Davies wasn't even on the team anymore.

The only person that appeared to still be sane was Katie Bell, but Harry surmised that this was because she was only thirteen, and the infectious moodiness hanging around all teens had not quite reached her yet. Percy had gone into overdrive and was studying for exams more than Hermione ever did, a feat which Harry had previously thought impossible. Even worse, Penelope was the exact same way, which meant that there were technically two Percys at the library, each with a Prefect badge and a ferocious attitude.

Lee Jordan had cheerfully told Harry that this was exactly what he had to look forward to in the years ahead, and that was what had led Harry to make this startling conclusion.

"I'm doomed," He realized, flopping back on his bed.

"But Mister Harry Potter Sir has defeated the bad men," A squeaky voice objected.

"_No_, not that kind of doom," Harry replied, turning on his side. He froze, rolling over to meet the large, glassy eyes of Dobby the house elf.

"Dobby!" Harry shouted in surprise.

"Hello, Mister Harry Potter Sir!" Dobby greeted cheerily. "Dobby heard the good news!"

"What good news?" Harry asked tiredly.

"That Mister Harry Potter Sir has figured out what Dobby had told him, and he fought off the evil!" Dobby nodded his large head up and down enthusiastically, causing his bat-like ears to flop around.

"Well, actually, I did it with the help of my friends," Harry corrected, determined to set the little elf straight. "That was a while ago, though. Why are you just talking to me now?"

Dobby hung his head, ashamed. "Dobby has tried to visit before, but every time Dobby could get away from Master, Mister Harry Potter Sir was with friends."

Harry frowned. "What do you mean, get away from your master?"

Dobby trembled. "Dobby needs to finish all his chores before Dobby can have a ten minute break. The Master gets very angry if Dobby has not done what Master asks."

"What does Malfoy make you do?" Harry asked curiously.

Dobby quivered in fear.

"Don't worry, Dobby, I won't tell anyone," Harry assured him.

The tiny elf took a deep breath. "Dobby has to wash, dry, and iron the Master's clothes. He has to prepare the Master's food, and do the Master's hair. On some days, when Master is feeling very bad, Dobby must draw Master's bath. Dobby has to always arrive when Master calls. He has to get the Master's paperwork and Dobby has to talk with other elves to set up Master's meetings. If Dobby ever messes up, Dobby is punished."

Harry's frown deepened. He didn't like the sound of that. "How do they punish you?"

"If Dobby burns Master's food, he must shut his hands in the oven. If Dobby misses a wrinkle in Master's clothes, Dobby must iron his fingers. If Dobby is late when Master calls, Dobby has to run through the Manor twice without stopping and without using magic. If Dobby breaks something, Dobby must hit his head against the wall twenty times. If Dobby breaks something important, he must hit his head against the wall fifty times. If Dobby does not punish himself, the Master will punish Dobby."

Harry swallowed. "Why don't you quit?"

Dobby shook his head frantically. "House elves cannot quit. House elves must be freed. Master must give Dobby clothes, and then Dobby can leave."

Harry clenched his jaw. He had to get Dobby away from Malfoy, but how?

Dobby's eyes grew wide. "Master is calling, Dobby must go!" He shouted, terrified.

Harry was left leaning over the side of his bed, gazing blankly at air.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Oliver wondered, trailing after Percy.

"You'll see," His friend replied simply.

"Why do I have to wait?"

Percy didn't respond.

Oliver glared at the back of his head.

"Here we are," Percy announced happily, stopping in front of an unused classroom.

"And what are we doing here?" Oliver asked impatiently.

Percy strode into the room, joining Penelope on top of one of the desks.

Oliver wrinkled his nose. Was he just here to watch those two snog?

"Y'know Clearwater, when I said to get a room, I meant one without me in it," Davies quipped.

Oliver's head turned to watch Davies slink out of the shadows.

"Wood," He sneered.

"Davies," Oliver snarled. He angled his body toward the cuddling couple. "Look, I know you're hoping we'll bond or something-"

"As if," Davies interrupted rudely.

"But I'm really not in the mood to hang around this idiot. I'm gonna go," Oliver continued.

Penny flicked her wand at the door, and it swung shut with a thump.

Oliver tugged at the knob futilely. "Alohamora!" He growled. The door refused to budge. Davies tried a few other unlocking charms, but they didn't appear to have any effect. Oliver could just imagine the look on McGonagall's face if he busted down the door.

"We're all going to stay here until you two decide that you've matured enough to let go of your differences," Penelope stated in a voice that clearly implied she thought they were acting like toddlers.

Penny and Percy retreated to a corner of the room to snuggle up close to each other.

Oliver turned away so that he wouldn't feel the overwhelming urge to gag. Davies did the same. Oliver glanced around the classroom and grumbled. Percy had eliminated all seating in the room except for the desk he and Penny were currently sitting on.

_That's fine_, Oliver told himself. He'd just sit on the floor, propped up against a wall as far away from Davies as he could get. He moved forward, only to hit an invisible barrier. He slammed his fist against it, receiving a slight shock in return. It seemed he and Davies were restricted to a tiny corner of the room.

He and Davies traded looks of mistrust, before Davies settled against the wall and Oliver sat with his back touching the barrier. Every once in a while, he'd feel a small zap, not harmful, just strange. He refused to back down.

Just then, the two heard a small squeal. They turned to see Percy and Penny practically on top of each other, hands roaming.

"Disgusting," Davies commented offhandedly.

"Definitely," Oliver agreed without realizing it.

He stiffened as he realized he was actually talking to his mortal enemy, and fell silent.

This continued on for about an hour, with Penny and Percy making disturbing noises and the two Quidditch captains refusing to make eye contact, until finally it seemed Davies couldn't take it any longer.

"Why do you hate me?" He blurted out.

"Because you hate me," Oliver replied, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh," Davies said.

Oliver waited. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Well, why do you hate me?"

"I don't," Davies admitted. "I just…don't like Gryffindors, s'all."

"Careful there," Oliver warned. "Don't wanna sound like a Slytherin."

Davies grinned in spite of himself. "Yeah, wouldn't want that."

The two were quiet again until Oliver's curiosity got the better of him.

"Why don't you like Gryffindors?"

"Because," Roger struggled to form a complete thought. "Because it seems like you guys get all the attention," He finally settled on.

"What are you talking about?" Oliver asked, confused.

"Last year, when Ravenclaw won the cup, no one cared. No one. Not even the rest of the team thought it was that big of a deal when Gryffindor ended up winning the House Cup. It's just not fair. I worked so hard to get them there, and I actually won the cup my first year as captain, and it was just like none of it mattered anymore. It's just not…winning's just not how I thought it would be, I guess."

Oliver considered this for a moment. "But then why did you do all of that stuff this year?"

Roger exhaled slowly. "Harry's back on your team. Let's face it, you guys are a really good team without him, but you're a great team with him. I knew that if every single player was on the team, we'd lose for sure. And I figured that if I managed to get you off the team as a punishment or something, then your team would fall apart."

"So I did all that stuff. It was really, really stupid, especially since I'm not on the team anymore myself. Flitwick even said that he'd have to think really hard about letting me have the badge back next year. I just really wanted to win. I know I took it too far, and I know I shouldn't have even tried doing that in the first place. And the worst part is, I don't even get to play anymore! It's not really about winning. It's about getting to play the sport I love. And, of course, I realize that way too late."

"I'm sorry, Wood. Sometimes us Ravenclaws get a little too competitive, you know? But you don't have to worry about me ruining anymore games for you. I already did that myself."

Oliver was conflicted. This was, technically, what he'd been wanting this whole time. He'd wanted Davies to come grovel at his feet and beg for forgiveness. But now that it was finally happening, all he felt was sick to his stomach. All he could see was himself, if he hadn't taken a moment to realize what a mad man he was becoming in his haste to win. As cliché as it all sounded, Oliver didn't really want Davies to beg. He just wanted everyone to be able to play, without anyone becoming obsessed over winning and losing.

"Hey, uh, y'know, I could always chip in my opinion to Flitwick. Tell him that I think you deserve that badge back," Oliver offered uncertainly.

"You'd do that?" Roger gaped dumbly.

"Yeah. Just so long as you don't turn into crazy Davies again."

"Yeah. Alright." Roger began nodding, a light entering his eyes.

The two boys stood and shook hands, grinning.

Oliver sensed the barrier fall down and whirled around to find Penny beaming at them, Percy by her side.

"Well, we should probably get back to studying, yeah Penny?" Roger suggested, stretching. "Don't wanna fail exams."

Instantly, Penny and Percy transformed, turning into the stress ridden beasts of the past few weeks.

Oliver smothered his laugh. "I'm gonna go work on my Quidditch drills for a bit. Final match is against Ravenclaw you know."

Roger smiled back at him. "Yeah, I know. Good luck, by the way."

"You too."

Penny gave a little squeal again and attacked the two with hugs. Percy just snickered, until he was pulled into the hug too.

* * *

"I don't know if we should really be doing this." Parvati Patil glanced around fearfully. "What if we get caught?"

Seamus, Dean, Neville, Parvati, and Lavender were directly outside of Professor Lockhart's office. Seamus and Dean had gotten sick of hearing all about how wonderful Lockhart was, and the two boys had devised a plan, with the help of a reluctant Neville. It was a rather shaky plan, but it would do.

"We won't," Seamus said confidently. "If there's one thing we're sure of, it's that Lockhart won't be back for a while."

"What did you have him do?" Lavender asked curiously.

"We managed to get his fan club together at the perfect place and at the perfect time. Since he likes to sign autographs so much, he'll have to sign exactly 617 of them, not to mention if any students should find him while he's occupied. It'll take him a while," Dean told them. "Now let's go."

Neville turned the door knob, hands trembling. It swung wide open, inviting the kids in.

"Perfect!" Seamus smiled evilly.

"I still don't know if we should be doing this," Parvati said dubiously.

"Don't worry Parvati. Just think about it this way: either you're proving to us that Lockhart is an honest and just citizen, or we're proving to you that he's a liar and a cheat. Don't think about the methods," Seamus told her.

"It's got to be in here," Dean decided after an hour of searching. He was referring to a large chest found at the bottom of Lockhart's closet. Buried beneath piles and piles of fan mail, the chest was closed tight with an intricate lock that Dean was certain a simple Alohamora wouldn't break through.

Lavender, who was best at Charms, tried it anyway, but the chest stayed closed tight. The small group of second years surrounded the chest, examining the lock.

"Something big has got to be in here. Why else would he go to so much trouble to lock it?" Seamus ran a hand through his sandy hair. The photographs of Lockhart all around the room kept shooting the children suspicious looks.

"I guess we'll have to break it," Dean realized.

"No!" Parvati snapped. "Then he'll know we were in here!"

"He'll know someone was in here, but he won't know who," Seamus corrected. "Neville, you wanna do the honors?"

It actually took four of them (Parvati refused to help with something so 'wrong'), but at last, the chest was opened. Inside were dozens upon dozens of journals, each marked with a title. The kids sifted through them, skimming the pages. Within the first minute, Neville's eyes grew wide as he read a particularly interesting passage in _Gadding with Ghouls: Part Two_.

"Um, guys?" He whispered. "I'm pretty sure this counts as evidence."


	28. Chapter 28

**AN: Good news! Well, good news for me, I don't know about you guys. Just a few more chapters and second year is finally over. It's honestly probably my least favorite year. Technically, I love them all, but second year's always felt a little off for me. Anyway, the response lately has been huge! Thanks to all you readers, followers, and favoriters. Guess what guys? I hit 900 followers and 600 reviews recently. I'm over the moon. Big thanks to reviewers thesagerk, Tellur, serialkeller, Kairan1979, ElementKitsune, Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER, Narcissa-Weasly, TertiusArmada, elmoryakhan, red-jacobson, RangerManaInSnuggieWar, geetac, Valentina Alexandrea Sparrow, mudbloodpotter05, Cassandra30, B00kw0rm92, Firenze Fox, Books are air, MariusDarkwolf, Penny is wise, Beloved Daughter, JannaKalderash, Arrow Riddari, and Wonderbee31. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

"I think I'll be taking that," A voice said from behind, a hand reaching around Neville to pluck the notebook right out of his grasp.

The kids whirled around to find Gilderoy Lockhart smiling at them. Neville felt a chill run up his spine at the glint in the man's eyes.

"How did you-" Seamus sputtered, blinking furiously.

"How did I finish those autographs so quickly? Oh children, when you've been famous for as long as I have, you find ways to speed up the process," He chuckled, pulling a special quill out of his pocket. "If you tell those silly little fans that you need privacy, they give you it. Those pathetic sheep don't notice that each signature looks exactly the same. They don't marvel at your quick pace. They're rather stupid, honestly."

"But I'm not complaining. It just makes it easier to fool them." He grinned like a shark.

"Neville," Lavender whispered. "What was in that notebook?"

Lockhart overheard easily. "Young Longbottom simply found a curious note which may have…implied that I was not the person to stop that Ghoul. In fact, if you'll read through all of my notebooks, you'll find that I was not the person to do any of the things I have claimed."

"No, really?" Dean mumbled under his breath.

Lockhart ignored him. "It would be more than a bit impossible for one person to do all of those things. Any simpleton could figure that out in a day. Does no one bother to check the dates anymore?"

"Why?" Parvati asked him, voice cracking.

"Because!" He hissed. "I deserve that fame. I should have the opportunity to get noticed. No one would take me seriously based off of looks alone, so I knew I had to do something. I just didn't have the skill to take down those creatures myself. Sometimes I persuaded village idiots to do the task for me, but occasionally I just happened to be at the right place at the right time."

"Why didn't any of those people step forward?" Neville asked bravely.

"Oh, kids, kids, kids. You really just don't get it. To be honest, when I realized someone had broken into my office, I'd hoped it would be someone with a better understanding of the world. Someone with more of a brain, perhaps. Maybe then I wouldn't have to explain so much." He tsked at them.

"Why are you telling us so much?" Seamus wanted to know.

"It gets a little stifling, you see, keeping all of this to your chest for so long." Lockhart beamed at them malevolently. "After a while, you just want to share your great accomplishments with the world. You five will have to do. Besides, it's not as though you'll remember any of this later."

"You see kids, you don't get to be where I am without having at least one special trick up your sleeve. In my case, I have two. My dashing good looks, and my superb Obliviation technique." He began to pull out his wand, relishing in the fear in their eyes.

Neville felt his knees start to give out. He slumped, caught by Seamus and Dean.

"What's Obliviation?" Lavender asked Parvati, her voice an octave higher than usual.

"To Obliviate is to remove someone's memories of anything from a single event, to all memories of a person, to their whole life. It is utilized by the Ministry to wipe the memory of magic from Muggles' minds. For you, however, I think removing this incident and any doubt you have of me should suffice," He smirked, advancing towards them. He began twirling his wand ominously. "Now, which one of you should go first?"

Lockhart, it seemed, wasn't a very good multi-tasker, for he dropped his wand and it clattered to the floor. Lockhart cursed, slowly bending over to pick it up.

What Neville did next resulted from pure instinct. He rushed at Lockhart, knocking the surprised man back into his desk. Neville made a mad attempt at grabbing the wand, but Lockhart shoved him out of the way and grabbed his wand back. Neville backed away in fear until he had reached his friends.

Lockhart stood quickly, sneering. "Well Longbottom, it looks like you've solved my dilemma. You'll get to be an example for your friends. Show them how it's done."

Neville shrank backwards. He could hear Parvati's sharp intake of breath behind him. The other four huddled around him, making Neville feel just a little bit braver. At least he wouldn't be alone. He braced himself for the hit.

"What's going on?" Charity Burbage arrived at the door to Lockhart's office with a stack of paper floating behind her. She hadn't expected to find him with his wand pointed at Neville Longbottom, who, if she was honest, was one of her favorites.

Lockhart spun around, his charming smile back in place. He knew better than to try anything with Charity. She wasn't a bumbling fool, unlike the others he typically practiced on. He suspected that his act hadn't changed her mind about anything.

Charity lifted her chin so that she could look down at Gilderoy. She had a bad feeling about this.

"Kids," She said calmly. "Why don't you head back to the Common Room? I'll meet up with you later. Professor Lockhart and I need to have a quick chat."

The quintet scurried out of the office, shooting her grateful looks. Charity took a deep breath. She really should've taken that headache potion earlier.

"What did we need to discuss?" Lockhart asked, pretending as though she hadn't just found him holding a student at wandpoint. He slid into his desk chair. Charity refused to sit across from him, and furthermore, she refused to let the subject drop.

"Well, initially we were going to discuss your backwards method of grading, but now I think we're going to discuss why exactly you looked about ready to curse Neville Longbottom!" Charity's voice rose as she became absolutely livid.

Lockhart stood, feeling threatened by her. Charity was not one to be trifled with. "Come now, Charity-"

"That's Miss Burbage to you," She said frostily.

"Miss, eh? Don't have a handsome young man pining after you?" He came closer. "Because I would be more than happy to fill in."

Charity stiffened as he came close enough for her to feel his breath on her face. He leered suggestively at her. She batted her admittedly short and sparse eyelashes up at him. He grinned and leaned in. Just as he closed his eyes, she brought her knee up to hit him in the groin.

"Ugh!" He brought his hands down instantly to cover them and moved back. His face had turned a shade of pink that even he wouldn't consider wearing.

Charity smirked at him. "Got a problem?"

Lockhart appeared conflicted. Standing or sitting wasn't really an option, which meant he had to stand there, cupping himself, as Charity Burbage watched on.

"Listen, Lockhart," She spat. "I know for a fact that you're not supposed to be casting any spells on students. I don't know what you were trying to do to those kids, but stay away from my Gryffindors." And with that she marched resolutely out of his office, leaving him there in an upright fetal position.

* * *

Finally, it was the day Oliver had been waiting for. The final match of the season had arrived, and it was Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. This was the match that would decide the winner of the Quidditch Cup. Oliver had been pacing back and forth in the changing rooms for over an hour now, as the team sat around him.

"Alright team. It's true that Philbert Deverill is sitting out there, along with some Puddlemere United fans. It's true that they're probably expecting us to win the game. And I won't try and deny that I would be really happy if we were to win the Quidditch Cup. Let's just be thankful that no matter what we do, it won't be a repeat of last year."

Harry grimaced, remembering the devastated look on Oliver's face as the boy walked into the Great Hall shortly after the match against Ravenclaw.

"We can do this. Just think about it as a match against any other team," Oliver instructed. Harry couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to reassure the team or himself.

"Hello out there to all you lovely witches and wizards," Lee said smoothly. "It's a fine day out, isn't it? In fact, I would say it's perfect weather for Quidditch. Good thing we have the final match of the year, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, to take advantage of it. I'm sure you're all very excited, so let's get started, shall we? For Gryffindor, we have captain and Keeper Oliver Wood, Chasers Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell, Beaters Fred and George Weasley, and Seeker Harry Potter!"

"And for Ravenclaw, we have…well, who really cares?"

"JORDAN!" McGonagall bellowed.

"Alright, alright, keep your hair on," Lee said hurriedly. He mumbled through the Ravenclaw introductions, adding "They might look a little more formidable if they had their old captain Roger Davies back."

"Shake," Madam Hooch ordered.

Oliver stepped up to shake Scott Roberts', the Ravenclaw Keeper, hand. He had a limp grip, and he seemed barely able to look him in the eye for more than a minute. Oliver rolled his eyes. He was nervous about _this_?

"And the game has begun!" Lee shouted into the microphone. Nearby students covered their ears at the volume. "Oh, sorry. The game starts off with Gryffindor in possession of the Quaffle, with Johnson passing to Bell, who quickly passes to Spinnet. Weasley saves her from a Bludger—probably George, you sly dog—and she passes back to Johnson, who sails right past Roberts, and Gryffindor gets ten points!"

Oliver grinned. Things were going great. He carefully maneuvered around the middle hoop to block one of the Ravenclaw chasers from scoring.

"And Ravenclaw fails to score, with Gryffindor back in possession of the Quaffle. Bell doesn't even bother to pass to anyone, because it seems the Ravenclaw chasers have been detained by the Gryffindor chasers and beaters. Bell soars down the pitch and Gryffindor scores yet another goal. Man, this game is boring…" Lee trailed off.

"Jordan!" McGonagall snapped.

"Okay, okay, I get it. Seriously though, I wish there was something for entertainment value here."

Harry, searching for the snitch, privately agreed. Ravenclaw had yet to score a goal, and the game had been going on for a while by that point.

"Harry!" Oliver called. "Just catch the snitch so we can win already!"

Harry nodded, turning back to the sky. Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw seeker, seemed to be trying to block his vision by flipping her hair all around her whenever he was near. He wondered briefly why she didn't tie it back; girls were usually required to do so. He shook it off just in time to spot a speck of gold right above the Gryffindor stands. He swooped in quickly, keeping his eyes trained on it. But he wasn't expecting Cho to fly directly beside him and shake her hair out in front of his eyes. Harry blinked frantically, his eyes burning, and when he was able to see again, the snitch had disappeared.

He sighed, frustrated. Cho didn't seem to know where the snitch was, and had just been following his lead. Harry signaled to Oliver for a time out, who quickly dismounted his broom. The team gathered in a tight huddle.

"It's her hair," Harry said simply.

"Harry, dear boy, now is really not the time to start noticing girls like that," The twins chimed.

Harry resisted the urge to stamp his foot. "No, not like that. Her hair won't stop getting in my way."

"That's against the rules," Katie mentioned.

"I'll make a complaint to Hooch," Oliver decided. Madam Hooch had been standing nearby and called Cho over.

"Chang, tie your hair back," She barked.

"I don't have a hair band," Cho simpered.

"Lucky for you, I always carry some extra," Angelina said smugly.

"Gee, thanks," Cho said sarcastically.

"No problem!" Angelina chirped.

"And finally, the time out is over folks. Remember the score is at Gryffindor 190, Ravenclaw 10. Are you sure we can't just end it now?" Lee whined.

"Jordan," McGonagall warned.

"Fine," Lee groaned.

Fred was having the time of his life. There really wasn't much reason for him to be shooting Bludgers at the Ravenclaws, because they were just sort of hanging uselessly in the air, but it gave him and George something to do. Perhaps the funniest reaction was when the beaters got pelted, because they seemed to forget that they had bats for the express purpose of beating the Bludgers away.

The girls really felt like it was just practice at the Burrow again. Roberts was an inept Keeper who didn't seem to know what he was supposed to do. The only good chaser on the team had been Davies, and since he was out of the game, there wasn't much competition. The most the others could do was call them names, and ever since one had made a crude comment towards Alicia and George had aimed a Bludger at his head, they had kept relatively quiet.

Oliver, for his part, was absolutely giddy. He had spotted Philbert Deverill in the Gryffindor stands, and the man had given him a thumbs up. Oliver had almost died right there, but it had gotten better. Sitting next to Deverill had been the current Keeper for Puddlemere, Bruce Aiken. Oliver felt ready to explode from happiness. He most likely would've too, if another Ravenclaw chaser hadn't tried to come at him.

Harry had been roaming the skies for what felt like ages until he spotted another flesh of gold situated comfortably in front of Lee Jordan, who merely grinned at Harry. Harry took a deep breath before heading straight for Lee and McGonagall. Cho seemed to think he was about to attempt a crazy stunt, but Roberts yelled at her to stop him, so she pursued.

The two were neck and neck, but Harry abruptly flew under her.

"What are you doing?" She shrieked, trying to look down at him. Doing so made her broom lean, causing her to let out another shriek and slow to a stop.

Harry raced ahead of her, turning back to give her an impish grin. She glared at him. He kept looking back until McGonagall gave a shout.

"Potter!"

He turned forward just in time to slam to a halt, reaching out and plucking the snitch from underneath Lee's nose and doing a triumphant spin in the air, raising the tiny, fluttering ball above his head.

"Finally, Harry Potter catches the snitch!" Lee teased.

Harry just beamed back at him.

"Gryffindor wins, ending at 370 to 20. With this match, Gryffindor wins the Quidditch Cup! Let me tell you, I've never been so happy for a match to be over in my life!" Lee exclaimed.

Oliver flew at Harry, grabbing him into a quick, "manly" hug. "Whoo!" He shouted.

The rest of the team quickly bombarded Harry before they flew down to get the Quidditch Cup from Hooch.

"I don't care what anyone says, you guys are the best team ever!" Oliver declared fiercely once they were alone. "I'm taking you guys to the World Cup with me, no matter what."

"Why, Ollie—"

"—are you crying?"

"No," Oliver lied. "I've just, y'know, got a speck of dirt in my eye. From the game," He explained hastily.

"You were wearing your goggles during the game," Katie remembered, confused.

"Shh!" Alicia whispered. "Let him keep some semblance of manliness."

Oliver shot them a dirty look. "You know what, I take it all back. You guys are the worst!"

"Do we still get a party?" The twins shouted after him.

"Notice how he still hasn't let go of the cup," Angelina muttered.

The team watched him storm away before bursting into laughter.

* * *

"Now, remember what I told you," Katie instructed quietly. "Don't do anything that could even be thought of as something a couple might do. You and I both know that we're just friends, but Leann doesn't. Well, not exactly. It's just that, we've only just been friends again, and I don't want to wreck that. So I need you to act like we're not very close."

Cormac nodded sadly. _We're just friends_, he thought angrily to himself. _Don't try to make it anything more_.

"It's only for a little while," Katie comforted him. "Just until things cool down. Then we can be like we've always been."

The trouble was, Cormac didn't want things to go back to the way they were. Cormac wanted to be able to stroll through Hogsmeade, holding Katie's hand for the whole world to see. As long as Katie and Leann were friends, that didn't seem like an option. And he wanted Katie and Leann to be friends, he really did. Katie seemed to love Leann like a sister, and Cormac didn't want her to give that up. But at the same time, he wanted to call her his girlfriend so badly.

"Okay, now let's go down. Wait, no, you should go ahead of me, I'll come down later." Katie fluttered around the room, face flushed.

"Katie," Cormac tried to get her attention.

"I just don't want her to get the wrong impression, y'know?" Katie smoothed down her skirt.

"Katie," Cormac attempted again.

"What if she realizes what we're trying to do? Oh my gosh, what if she doesn't believe me?"

"Katie!" Cormac said firmly, taking her by the arm. "Everything's going to be fine. You guys have been friends for years now; nothing's going to change that. We'll go down together, and if she does get the wrong idea, I'll go talk to her myself, and explain everything."

Katie mulled this over for a moment and began to nod. She launched herself at him unexpectedly, squeezing him tight. "You'd really do that for me? Cormac, you're the best friend ever!"

He forced a smile onto his face and gently tugged her arm towards the door. As they descended the stairs, Leann glanced up and waved them over. He felt Katie exhale next to him. He grinned.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Leann were all in a corner of the room. Harry had rounded up all the available people he could think of to help free Dobby. He hadn't intended Leann to be there as well, but Katie had sworn she wouldn't help unless Leann was invited. The fourth years were wrapped up in their own little romances, as were Penny and Percy. Ron joked that Oliver was too, just not with a real person. Harry had asked the other second years, but Seamus had said they had a rather serious problem themselves, and they needed to work on that first.

"So, I guess the first thing we need to do is figure out everything we know about house elves," Hermione said immediately, assuming the position of leader. Leann had surmised that she was very good at that.

"Not much," Cormac admitted.

"Ron?" She asked meekly.

"Nope." The ginger shrugged.

"How about you Leann?"

The girl seemed surprised to be included. "Um, well, we had one, but he died when I was about eight. Floppy was so nice though. He took such great care of me. We used to play together all the time. Once, I accidentally freed him because I asked him to put away my clothes, but he said that he'd still work for us."

"Wait!" Hermione interrupted. "You said that _you_ freed him?"

"Yeah," Leann said slowly. "I don't really see how it's that important though."

"It's okay," Ron told her. "We don't really get it either."

"No, see, the main problem this whole time is that we don't really know how to get at Lucius Malfoy. But if Leann could free Floppy, then why can't Draco free Dobby?" Hermione talked very fast naturally, but when she was excited about a new theory, she tended to speak so fast that her words blurred together, making her sentence sound a bit jumbled.

"_That_ was the main problem?" Harry mumbled.

"We can't exactly go up to Malfoy and ask him to free his house elf though," Cormac said. "It won't work. Regardless of the fact that he's too lazy to ever do anything himself, he wouldn't do it just to spite us."

"We just have to find a way to make him think it's his idea," Hermione told them, as though the answer should have been obvious.

"Oh, yeah, of course," Ron nodded, a knowing look on his face.

"You get it then?" She turned to him, bouncing with energy.

"Er, not exactly, no," Ron conceded.

Hermione sat back in her chair, crestfallen. "This is going to take a while."


	29. Chapter 29

**AN: One more chapter and second year is over! PoA is my absolute favorite, of the books and the movies, so I'm super excited to get to it. Thanks to the readers and favorites and followers who keep pushing me. Major thanks to reviewers serenityselena, Penny is wise, Eternal She-Wolf, Books are air, Cassandra30, Kairan1979, Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER, ginnyandharryluvr, kentrek1, elmoryakhan, red-jacobson, geetac, Spring Raine, Snowball1982, Lightningblade49, magitech, MariusDarkwolf, Tellur, serialkeller, Beloved Daughter, B00kw0rm92, Wonderbee31, and Element Kitsune.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

A small group of five second years sat huddled by the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room, speaking in hushed voices and throwing covert glances over their shoulders.

"I just can't believe it," Lavender kept saying, shaking her head.

"I knew it!" Seamus kept hissing, though his face was still pale and scared.

"What are we going to do?" Parvati asked.

The other four looked at her blankly.

"You know, about Lockhart?" She tried again.

"What do you mean?" Dean frowned.

"He just tried to Obliviate us!"

Neville whimpered, burrowing down further into his squashy armchair.

"Parvati, there's not really anything we can do," Lavender said gently.

Seamus was not so kind. "What are we gonna do? We don't know any real spells that we can use against him. Are we just supposed to hit him with a Jelly Legs Jinx and hope for the best?" He snorted in disbelief. "It's impossible! He'd just wipe our memories."

Parvati rolled her eyes. "I'm not talking about physically fighting him. I'm talking about destroying his public image."

Dean sat up straight, realization entering his eyes. "You mean through the Daily Prophet?"

"Among another publications." Parvati nodded her approval.

Neville was still apprehensive. "Why can't we just let someone else do it?"

"Because Neville, do you really think anyone else will? We're the only ones who have proof that Lockhart is a liar. We're the only ones who aren't just acting on a hunch or personal feelings. We have evidence!" Parvati paused, breathing heavily. "Besides," She added more calmly. "Father always said that if you want something done right, you should do it yourself."

"And where'd this new attitude come from?" Seamus said sourly. "You were the one who was so against us digging for information. Why are you so into it now?"

"That was before I knew he was such a…such a…a," She struggled to come up with a word.

"Liar?" Lavender suggested.

"Fake?" Dean offered.

"Fraud?" Neville recommended.

"Phony?" Seamus blurted out.

"Such a jerk!" Parvati exploded.

The Common Room turned to stare at the second year girl. She shrunk back, feeling her face burn.

"Maybe we should do this up in the dorms," Dean commented.

"That's probably a good idea," Parvati admitted. "We'll discuss where we should send our story."

"How about we make a story first?" Seamus mumbled.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the second year boy dorms, another small group sat plotting.

"Alright, so you know exactly what you've got to do, Ron?" Hermione double-checked.

"I've got it Hermione. You've only gone over it about a million times," Ron snapped.

Harry tried his best to intervene. "I'm sure everyone knows what they're about to do. It's really serious. If we don't get it right the first time, we won't get another chance, because Malfoy'll be so suspicious of us."

"You mean of Cormac," Katie corrected.

"Yes, right. Just, everyone get to your places, and if something goes wrong, think on your feet. You can do it. Now, Harry, call Dobby," Hermione instructed.

"Are you sure this will work?" Harry asked dubiously.

"Well, not entirely." Hermione shifted guiltily. "But I'm pretty sure. Just call him."

Harry, feeling a little foolish, sat on the edge of his bed. "Dobby," He whispered gingerly.

The little creature appeared with a pop, letting out a gasp as he took note of the others sitting around the circular room. "Mister Harry Potter Sir," He murmured. "Does Mister Harry Potter Sir know that there be strange children seeing Dobby?"

"Yeah, I know, Dobby," Harry reassured him. "These are my friends, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Katie Bell, Leann Laughland, and Cormac McLaggen. We're going to set you free." Harry puffed up proudly.

Dobby's eyes began to water. He began to hiccup, softly at first, steadily growing in volume. "Mister Harry Potter Sir!" He wailed, launching himself at the skinny boy. He cried all over Harry's shirt, but Harry just patted him on the back and waited it out.

"It's okay Dobby. We'll get you out of there," Hermione said confidently.

"Thank you Missy Grangey," He squeaked out. He sniffled and used Harry's shirt to wipe away his tears and his snot. Harry grimaced.

"So I was thinking that we could—" Parvati stopped dead upon finding Harry and friends surrounding a house elf. "Um…"

"You can't tell anyone!" Ron ordered, jumping up as though ready to fight.

"We won't," Lavender told him.

"That is, as long as you do something for us," Seamus insisted slyly.

"Really? Resorting to blackmail?" Dean said incredulously.

"That depends on what you want us to do," Cormac replied, rising to stand next to Ron.

"We need your elf to go get something for us. He needs to be able to slip in and out without anyone knowing he was even there. Once he does that, we'll turn a blind eye to anything you do."

Harry began to nod in agreement, but Ron quickly stepped in.

"Hang on. What do you guys need?" He asked, curious.

"Why should we tell you?" Seamus retorted.

"Guys, stop!" Katie shouted. "Aren't you all supposed to be friends now?"

Dean looked down at the floor.

Ron shuffled his feet.

"So shouldn't you guys just be able to tell each other what's going on without worrying about anyone telling?" Katie said logically. "If you just lay it all out for each other, I'm sure everything will be fine."

"That's not a bad idea," Neville muttered quietly.

The others slowly began to agree.

"So…who goes first?" Parvati wondered.

"Considering we weren't the ones who had a house elf in the dorms…" Dean trailed off.

Harry sighed, certain that he was the one to explain it all. "This is Dobby. He's the Malfoys' house elf, and he's being mistreated, so we figured that we should try to get Malfoy to free him." It was an abbreviated version, true, but he didn't feel like wasting too much time on it.

Seamus seemed to have the same idea, for he gave a rather bare bones retelling of the events. "We found out that Lockhart's a fake, and we have proof, we just need to get it out there. The only problem is, the proof is still in his office."

"Why don't you just go back and get it?" Leann piped up.

"Are you kidding me?" Lavender exclaimed. "He tried to Oliviate us! I'm never going to be alone with him again."

"It's Obliviate, but yes." Parvati agreed with the sentiment.

"No way!" Ron gasped.

"What's Obliviating do?" Harry asked, feeling out of the loop.

"It's a spell that removes someone's memories. I can't believe he would do that." Hermione stared vacantly out the window.

"Good thing Professor Burbage was there to save us," Neville mentioned hesitantly.

Harry shook himself, trying to chase away the thought of what might have happened had she not been there. "Alright, so we need to work out some details. What have you guys got so far?"

As the kids brainstormed, Leann leaned over to whisper to Katie "Is it normally like this?"

Katie thought for a moment. "Well, last time there was a lot more running involved, but yeah. I guess it is. Do you like it?"

"I think I do." Leann fell backwards on to the bed. Katie lay down next to her, and the two girls burst into giggles.

* * *

"Malfoy." Cormac greeted the younger boy coolly. He had heard stories about what the brat called those who weren't purebloods, and he hated him for it. He was doing this for Katie.

"McLaggen," Malfoy spat back, a confused look on his face. Cormac was certain that Malfoy couldn't figure out why Cormac was talking to him. Crabbe and Goyle flanked the blonde boy, but Cormac didn't bother to look their way.

"What do you want?" Malfoy continued.

"Why do I have to have a reason to hang out with more civilized wizards?" Cormac shot back, the words leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. His disgust must not have shown on his face, for Malfoy preened. Cormac flopped down on the grass next to the Slytherins, watching the Giant Squid attempt to tickle some nearby first years. He nodded every so often, to give the appearance of caring. _Hurry up_, he thought impatiently.

_Pop!_

"Is that your elf?" Cormac asked, feigning disinterest.

Malfoy scowled. "Unfortunately. The thing's bloody useless, can't do anything right."

"Young Master Malfoy." Dobby bowed so low his nose touched the ground.

"What is it, elf?" Malfoy barked in his best imitation of his father. His voice had not yet matured, which meant he sounded like a small, whiny child.

"Mistress has a message for Young Master," Dobby informed him.

Malfoy's face turned pink. "Not now," He growled.

"But Mistress told Dobby to deliver it immediately." Dobby stood firm.

"Fine. Get it over with." He prayed it wouldn't be something too embarrassing.

Dobby straightened up immediately.

Cormac tried to hide his grin.

"Mistress said that Young Master Malfoy must tell her when he needs more underwear. Mistress apologizes for sending oatmeal cookies instead of chocolate in Young Master Malfoy's goody bag. Mistress would like Young Master Malfoy to start courting Missy Parkinson, and if he does not, she will tell Master. Master is ashamed of Young Master Malfoy's class standing, and says he must improve."

"I'm second! And Parkinson's ugly. And what was all that other stuff about anyway, you stupid elf?" Malfoy couldn't stop looking over at McLaggen. "Get out of my sight!" He ordered.

"Hey Dobby," Ron said casually, strolling by. "I'm kind of hungry. D'you think you can go get me a snack from the kitchens?"

Dobby bobbed his head up and down before disappearing.

Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes. His house elf was tending to a Weasley? It was preposterous.

"Thanks a ton," Ron said gratefully as Dobby reappeared, his arms overflowing with food. "Here, I'll just take that, ooh, and you got some pie!"

"Mister Wheezy's favorite," Dobby replied knowingly.

"Dobby, I was wondering, have you seen my Quidditch gloves anywhere?" Harry asked, popping up from around the tree.

"Yes, Mister Harry Potter Sir!" Dobby trilled, disappearing to get them.

Malfoy began to sputter in shock.

"Great!" Harry brightened upon finding his gloves. "We don't have any more practices, since we won the Cup, but I still wanna fly, y'know?"

Cormac struggled to contain his laughter.

"One last thing, Dobby. Could you go get my Potions book for me? I think I left it in the Common Room. I really wanna study for exams," Hermione requested politely.

"Yes Missy Grangey!" Dobby beamed enthusiastically.

Malfoy felt his blood begin to boil. As soon as Dobby got back, he stood up and stomped over to the elf childishly. "What do you think you're doing?" Malfoy demanded.

"Dobby be getting things for his friends," Dobby responded, a confused look on his face.

Malfoy let out a strangled sound. "Friends? You can't be friends with them!"

"You know what I would do if I were him?" Cormac said loudly to Crabbe and Goyle, knowing Malfoy was listening in. "I would give that elf clothes right now. He can't just go and become friends with my enemies, doing stuff for them and not me. What gave him the right? I would just fire him now. It's what any respectable wizard would do."

Malfoy stiffened.

The trio held their breath.

Dobby stared up at him beseechingly.

Crabbe and Goyle watched dumbly, drool dribbling out of their mouths.

Malfoy quickly ripped his tie away from his shirt and threw it at Dobby, who caught it and gaped.

"Get away from me you filthy elf! Father will find someone better than you, someone who actually knows how to do their job." Malfoy gestured to his bodyguards, and the three boys lumbered up to the castle.

Dobby waited until they were out of earshot to attack Harry with a hug. "Mister Harry Potter Sir!" He screeched, sobbing. "Mister Harry Potter Sir has freed Dobby. Mister Harry Potter Sir is good and just."

Harry blushed furiously. "Well, y'know I had help," He mentioned gently.

Dobby flew at Cormac next. "Mister McLaggy is so great to face Young Master Malfoy for Dobby!"

Cormac snorted. "He's not honestly that scary. You don't have to thank me," He said, attempting to be modest.

Dobby let go of Cormac's legs and instead began babbling incoherently to Hermione and Ron.

"Really?" Cormac huffed. He heard two girlish giggles, and turned to find Leann and Katie, who had watched all the events unfold.

"That's what you get for trying to be humble," Katie teased.

"Is there any way I can get thanks and not seem conceited?" He asked jokingly.

"For other people, sure. For you, definitely not." Katie laughed.

"Gee, Katie, you're sure a great friend," He said sarcastically, throwing an arm around her shoulders.

Katie froze as she realized what they'd just done in front of Leann.

Cormac groaned inwardly; he'd just screwed the whole thing up.

But Leann, surprisingly, smiled at them and approached Dobby with kind eyes.

"See," Cormac nudged Katie. "You guys will always be friends."

"Yeah," Katie whispered, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Yeah, I guess we will."

* * *

Lee Jordan wandered the halls of Hogwarts, feeling more than a little lonely. Fred and Alicia were off snogging in a broom closet. George and Angelina were 'talking about their feelings', which was the biggest load of tripe Lee had ever heard. Cormac didn't seem to need any more help, for he had gotten mighty close with Katie out by the lake. Penny and Percy were having a study session, which Lee thought was really just code for more snogging.

It seemed everyone either had someone or didn't want someone. Oliver cuddled up with the Quidditch Cup at night. Even Bernie Benson, the other boy in the Gryffindor fourth year dorms, had a girlfriend. True, it was a girl from Hufflepuff with a smashed up face and a nasally voice, but still! The point was, Lee Jordan was single, and he needed to do something to rectify the situation.

The girls in Gryffindor were either taken, too young, or too old. And there was that small category of girls who wouldn't even look his way because in a second year prank, Lee had to prank the girls' dormitories, and Fred and George pranked the boys'. Lee didn't think it was really fair because they must have known that it would backfire on him, and most girls would end up hating him.

The Slytherin girls were automatically out, because they were Slytherins. Lee really didn't think he needed to explain that any further. Ravenclaws were generally against pranking, and they were sticklers for the rules, which meant he wasn't about to pick up a girl from the house of the intelligent. This left Hufflepuff.

The twins had shown him once where the entrance to the Hufflepuff Common Room was, and he thought that would help an awful lot in this situation. Perhaps he could enter mysteriously, and make them think that he was some sort of all-knowing man. Yes, that would be perfect. Girls loved mysterious, or so his many female cousins said. Lee's whole family was made up of women, bar his Uncle Dirk, who usually fell asleep anyway.

If Lee ever had kids, he wanted to have a ton of boys and one girl, a little like the Weasley family. One girl, because then he could do the overprotective father act on her future boyfriends. Boys, because he really wanted some masculine company at his own home.

But before he could do all that, he needed to find an actual girl first. He was just about to enter the Hufflepuff Common Room when Cedric Diggory, in all his glory, stepped out.

"Jordan, what are you doing here?" Diggory asked sourly.

"Trying to pick up some girls," Lee said truthfully.

"Why don't you just go back to your own house?" Diggory sneered.

"All of them are taken," Lee complained.

"I'm not going out with Angelina anymore," Diggory pointed out.

"Yeah I know. She's going out with George," Lee told him.

"What? But he—at Hogsmeade he—"

"No, that was Fred," Lee said. "George and Angelina are going out, and they don't seem to want good ol' Lee to hang around, so I figured I better find myself a girlfriend."

"Good luck trying to find one here," Cedric scoffed. "They aren't doing anything. I was gonna find a Ravenclaw instead. Wanna come?"

Lee waved him off. "Nah. Ravenclaws don't do pranks, and I need pranks. I guess I'll just have to convince some of the Gryffindor girls to stop hating me."

"Good luck," Cedric told him, setting off down the hall towards the Great Hall.

"Yeah, thanks." Lee thought it highly unlikely that he could make up for…that incident. He'd never been very good with girls anyway. Even his family thought him awkward and uncomfortable. He couldn't listen to girls talk about bras and feelings and makeup. He didn't understand them, and so, he ignored them. They were just too weird.

In his musings, he'd accidentally wandered into the second floor corridor, which he didn't realize until he saw the girl's bathroom door.

"Oh no," He whispered. He backpedalled furiously, intending to leave as soon as possible.

"Lee!" A high pitched voice shrieked from behind. "Did you come to visit me?"

"Um," Lee scrambled around for an answer. "Only just for a minute, because I've got to study soon, y'know. Exams are soon, so…"

"Come on in," Myrtle giggled and flew through the door.

At this point, Lee really would've wanted a goody two shoes Ravenclaw instead.

* * *

**Harry Potter calls Lockhart's Bluff**

**The Boy-Who-Lived Not Impressed with His New Professor**

**Gilderoy Lockhart and the Deceiving Smile**

**Puddlemere's Newest Player Dishes on a Certain Professor**

The Quibbler, the Daily Prophet, Witch Weekly, and Which Broomstick had all published stories on the same day, all about Lockhart. Dean had tried to remember what his step-father always wrote in his notes, and set them and the notebooks that Dobby had fetched into several media outlets.

Harry and Oliver, though mostly Oliver phrasing Harry's ideas politely, had written out responses to different journalists requesting information, and it seemed to be working. Lockhart had walked into the hall in the morning, totally unaware that he had just been destroyed. All around Harry, students were reading all of his lies and secrets. Witch Weekly couldn't believe they'd been duped and given out their "Most Charming Smile" award to someone who hardly knew a proper Expelliarmus. Which Broomstick swore they had known the whole time, and simply didn't have the proof to back it up. The Quibbler claimed they'd been the first on the scene, and The Daily Prophet said the Ministry was looking into the matter.

But Harry's favorite reaction by far was the look on Lockhart's face as he realized he'd been caught. He read every piece on him, before fleeing the room. McGonagall rose, and the students turned towards her expectantly.

"Students of Hogwarts, I'm afraid that Professor Lockhart shall no longer be with us here at Hogwarts. As you all know, exams are next week, and all of the professors will administer the Defence Against the Dark Arts exam when we can. Thank you for your understanding."

Harry couldn't help but laugh as the majority of the people in the room let out whoops out that.


	30. Chapter 30

**AN: I don't normally like doing two chapters in one day. But this one was begging to be written and posted, and I had the time, so I hope you guys like it. It's the end of second year, and Harry has a small epiphany. Even though the last chapter was posted just hours ago, I've already had a ton of responses. Thanks to the readers, favoriters, and followers. Special thanks to reviewers Lady Eleanor Boleyn, serialkeller, RedFred13, Spring Raine, B00kw0rm92, Kairan1979, Tellur, Beloved Daughter, Jmw, Skylar of Gryffindor, Firenze Fox, Books are air, geetac, jadely31, JannaKalderash, MariusDarkwolf, and ElementKitsune. You guys are absolutely amazing!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

The last week of school had flown by, much to Harry's disappointment. Penny, Percy, and Hermione had all aced exams. Harry thought he'd done rather well, and even Hermione had agreed. Harry knew that if Hermione had gotten his grades, she'd probably have a heart attack, but at least she knew that he'd studied and tried.

Lockhart's exams had gone rather strangely for all involved. The sixth years had to duel each other, with Flitwick looking on. The fourth years had to recite complex and dangerous spells to a stone faced Augusta Longbottom. The third years were to face off against dark creatures while Hagrid shouted "Don't hurt 'em!" from the sidelines. The second years cast simple defense spells on dummies in front of Andromeda, and the first years took a simple written test as Charity attempted to fix a muggle microwave.

When McGonagall realized they hadn't learned the appropriate curriculum, she chose not to let the Defense exams affect the total grade of the students. Harry had breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that, for he was certain that he hadn't learned a thing except that Lockhart's favorite color was lavender.

But now that exams were over, Harry had to go home. And it seemed that his friends had incredibly exciting plans, while Harry was just to be stuck at Privet Drive. The only person who was guaranteed to have a summer as miserable as Harry was Lee, who was to sit at home with his mother, aunts, cousins, and his grandmother as they moaned about how their men had done them wrong.

And when the time came to go home, all that Harry could do was climb up onto the Hogwarts Express and sit in a compartment. Because there were so many of them, Harry and his friends couldn't all sit in the same compartment. Percy and Penny went to the Prefect compartment and patrolled the train. Oliver, the twins, Lee, Angelina, and Alicia grabbed a compartment at the end of the train. Next door were Katie, Leann, and Cormac sitting with a group of third years. Across from there sat some first years who went silent every time Harry passed in front of them. And on the other side of them were the Gryffindor second years, squished together tightly.

"I wonder who McGonagall will get for Defense next year." Parvati bit into a chocolate frog.

"Hopefully someone who actually knows what they're doing," Seamus grumbled.

"After Quirrel and Lockhart? Not bloody likely," Ron snorted through a mouthful of every flavor beans.

"But they weren't hired by McGonagall," Hermione reminded them. "She might be able to find someone who knows what they're talking about. Someone who's got firsthand experience."

"Someone like that sounds boring." Lavender wrinkled her nose.

"Okay, so we want a guy-"

"Or a girl," Parvati interrupted.

"Or a girl," Dean conceded. "We want a guy or a girl who knows what they're doing, but isn't too uptight. They have to know how to have fun."

"And they can't get scared easily," Harry added.

"I don't want them to make us do bookwork." Ron devoured some pumpkin pasties.

"Well, we have to have some bookwork," Hermione said. "But a focus on practical application would be great."

"But what are the chances that someone exactly like that is gonna want to work at Hogwarts?" Neville wondered.

"What d'you mean?" Seamus scratched his head.

"We don't exactly have the best track record. I heard from one of the seventh years that the position is cursed, and that no one stays there for more than a year," Lavender whispered.

"That's just a myth, I'm sure," Hermione muttered, though she looked uneasy.

"Still, it can't just be coincidence," Ron insisted.

There was silence as the kids looked at each other uncomfortably. Dean quickly changed the subject.

"I signed up for another art program this summer. Should be fun." He waited for another comment, and when none came, he continued to talk. "What are you guys doing this summer?"

Lavender cleared her throat. "My dad has to live in London for the summer on business. I managed to get an internship at a fashion agency, and he agreed to let me stay with him so I could get there every day."

Hermione's eyes widened, impressed. "You got an internship?"

Lavender flushed. "Well, since I'm only thirteen, I can't actually do any fashion work. I'm mostly there to fetch tea and things like that. But I'm trying to do that thing you were talking about before, Hermione. Learning through observing, right?"

Hermione was clearly pleased. "You were listening!"

"Of course I was. Friends always listen to each other," Lavender declared firmly. "And we're all friends, aren't we?"

For the first time since Harry had met her, Lavender seemed slightly unsure of herself. It was more than a little jolting, and it surprised Harry to think that someone who always seemed so confident might not feel that way inside.

"I think we are," Neville said bravely. This had been one of the best years of his life. He had gotten real, true friends, who cared about him. They helped him, and stood by him. It made Neville feel better about himself.

"Well, that's settled," Parvati stated, giving them all an appraising look. "My family's going to India over the summer, to visit some relatives. It should be fun, because you're allowed to go on a magic carpet ride there."

Hermione sighed wistfully. "Oh, that would be wonderful! My parents are taking me on a tour of France. We're going to Paris, and Lyons, and Versailles, and we're supposed to see the countryside too."

"Gran won't let me go anywhere," Neville said glumly. "She says I might disturb the peace. I have to stay in my room and focus on my studies."

"What studies?" Hermione asked.

"Mostly just Wizarding history and customs. I have to learn about the Longbottom seat in the Wizengamot too. It's really boring."

"Me mam is takin' me to the far north part of Ireland. Says I need to learn something about patience and hard work." Seamus rolled his eyes. "D'you know how boring that is? I won't be able to do anything except talk to all the people around her old village. And everyone there is old." Seamus said the last word like it was a curse, giving a dramatic shudder for effect.

The compartment laughed, and Harry felt the warm feeling in his chest again. He pictured it as some sort of bright light, and he wondered if the others ever felt it too. Did it show on his face? Would it be so bad if it did? Harry couldn't help but imagine what would happen next year. Would they still be friends? Or would it be almost like starting all over again?

He surveyed them all. Lavender, who had looked like a girl who didn't care much for anything except clothes, was proving to be someone with ambition and drive, someone who wouldn't rest until she'd came and conquered. Parvati, who had previously just seemed like an extension of Lavender, now showed herself to be so much more. She was great at giving advice, and she never pushed for secrets.

Harry had lived in the same dorms with Seamus, Dean, and Neville for a year before thinking of looking at them as people. Seamus was quick tempered and typically spoke before he thought, but he was fiercely loyal to his friends. Dean, ever the mediator, tried to find a calm, cool headed solution to every problem that arose, but when he needed to, he fought for what he thought was right. Neville had been the meek and shy boy who couldn't seem to do the simplest of tasks, but he had become a boy who would do whatever it took to save his friends. He was still unsure of himself at times, but at least he knew that there were people always willing to help.

And Harry's friends weren't just regulated to second year. He had friends throughout Gryffindor. They came from all over the place, and none of them were the same. Even Fred and George had small differences that Harry could appreciate. They had different skills and strengths, but that wasn't why Harry was friends with them. He did it because…because they were great people who would help him in an instant without ever asking for anything in return.

It was something Harry had never experienced before, but he certainly wasn't complaining. At least, not until the train slowed to a stop at Platform 9 ¾ and Harry was forced to get off.

"I'll try and get Mum to let you visit," Ron told Harry at the platform.

"And we'll tell her when Ron forgets at the sight of food," The twins chorused.

"You have to write," Hermione said sternly.

"I will," He swore.

"Probably be better now that no one's gonna steal your mail," Cormac grinned.

"You heard about that?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Course. Katie told me. You better respond to my letters, Potter," Cormac said, faking anger.

Harry could only nod in shock.

"Well, Harry, I'm afraid this is where we depart," Lee said, slinging an arm around Harry's shoulder. "Two poor sods off to spend a dreary summer with their families. Not much fun, but misery loves company, so write me." With that, he took off towards a dark woman with a bored expression.

"Harry, I'm gonna be at Quidditch training camp for most of the summer, but you can still write, and I'll try and get back to you as soon as possible, 'kay?" Oliver clapped Harry on the back before departing.

Slowly, Harry's friends filtered out of the platform, with reminders that he had to write. Harry couldn't help but think that his hand would cramp up. Finally, it was just Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Just the way it started.

"I'm going to miss you guys," Hermione said tearfully, drawing the two into a hug. "You have to write. You have to. Even if it's a really short note and it's so sloppy that I can only read the signature. I don't care, I just want to know that you're both okay. And we can make plans to meet up in Diagon Alley towards the end of the summer, and everything will be absolutely fine-"

Ron cut off her babbling. "What she means is, if the Dursleys give you any trouble, just let us know and we'll come bust you out. So don't be afraid to tell us in a letter, and everything should go great. Have fun, and go annoy your cousin as much as possible."

Hermione gave a watery laugh before pulling away regretfully. "I have to go now. Mum and Dad told me that the plan to Paris is at seven tonight, so I have to change and then get ready for customs immediately. Just-just don't make me worry too much, alright?"

Harry nodded, watching her go with a heavy heart.

Ron sucked in a deep breath. "Hey, mate, I know I'm not really the best at talking about feelings and saying what I think of you but, you're a really great friend. And I mean it. I dunno what I would've done if I didn't have you here all the time. I guess I just don't really know what to say."

"It's okay," Harry told him. "I know what you mean."

Ron breathed a sigh of relief. "You do? That's good. Look, uh, just don't forget what I said earlier about the Dursleys. See you over the summer, Harry."

Harry grinned at his freckly friend before pushing his cart towards the barrier and finding Uncle Vernon waiting on the other side.

"Boy!" The beefy man barked at the sight of his most hated (and only!) nephew.

"Hello Uncle Vernon!" Harry called cheerily. "Did Dudley have a good year at Smeltings?"

"He probably learned a lot more than you did at that school of yours!" Uncle Vernon sneered.

"Probably," Harry agreed, thinking of Lockhart.

Uncle Vernon sputtered at Harry. "Get in the car boy, and don't let any of the neighbors see your…things," He snapped, gesturing to Hedwig and Harry's Nimbus 2000.

"Alright," Harry replied, for once feeling as though returning to the Dursleys might not be so bad after all. Harry was happy.

* * *

**Reply to review made by Jmw:**

**Looking back now, 30 chapters for the second shortest book does seem a bit excessive, but I didn't really want to take any of those scenes out, so I'm happy with the general gist of it. I've actually thought of your suggestion before, but I'm afraid there are some problems with it, so I can't go with that plan, at least not yet. This story's only going up to fifth year, so I don't know about the World Cup, but I do think it would be an amazing piece. I did have a poll for pairings a while back, but I'm always willing to hear what you want. No guarantee that it will be put it, but I promise to consider it. And I wouldn't be too sure about Katie/Cormac. The ending is very, very far off, so you'll have to wait a while. Thanks for reviewing!**


	31. Chapter 31

**AN: I'm afraid this one doesn't have much original material. I tried, but I couldn't twist most of this around, so here you go. I promise the next chapter will have bigger changes. It was just pointed out to me recently how popular this fic has become, so thanks to the readers, favoriters, and followers who have made that happen. And I could never leave out my wonderful reviewers: Valentina Alexandrea Sparrow, Jmw, Firenze Fox, gbear605, elmoryakhan, Lady Eleanor Boleyn, Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER, jadely31, serialkeller, Lady Sabine of Macayhill, Loves to read books, magitech, B00kw0rm92, Books are air, MariusDarkwolf, Tellur, Beloved Daughter, Spring Raine, red-jacobson, and ElementKitsune.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

Harry Potter was having one of the best summers of his life. It was certainly better than the year before, when Harry hadn't even gotten any word from his friends. This summer, Harry kept in contact with all of them. Although Harry still wasn't allowed to use his owl to send letters to his friends, Hedwig was allowed to fly at night, which made her happy. Instead of communicating by owl, Harry's muggleborn friends collected letters from his other friends, and mailed them to Harry through muggle post. This made for rather fat envelopes, but receiving them never failed to cheer Harry up.

Earlier in the summer, his friend Ron Weasley had called the Dursley household, intending to speak to Harry. Unfortunately, Ron had been raised by wizards, and didn't know how to properly use a telephone.

"HELLO? HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Ron had shouted through the phone, startling the Dursleys and Harry, who could hear him from several feet away. "I—WANT—TO—TALK—TO—HARRY—POTTER!"

Uncle Vernon's response was equally loud, and most likely made Ron believe he was using the telephone correctly. "WHO IS THIS?" He bellowed, face turning red.

"RON WEASLEY!" Ron bellowed back.

Harry had already sensed that this wasn't going to go well, but it became worse once Ron mentioned Hogwarts. Uncle Vernon had lost it, and he seemed more than a little peeved.

"THERE IS NO HARRY POTTER HERE!" He roared.

Ron seemed to realize that he must've done something wrong, for he didn't try to call Harry again. For that matter, none of Harry's friends tried to call. Harry suspected that Ron had told the others not to bother, which was a shame, because some of Harry's muggleborn friends, like Dean Thomas and Hermione Granger, would've know precisely how to use a telephone. But Harry didn't think that Uncle Vernon would let him speak to his friends, no matter how normal they seemed.

But Harry was more than happy to have the letters. He had nicked stamps from Dudley again, but was sparing in his use of them, because all of his replies to the letters weighed an awful lot. The only thing that could have improved summer at the Dursleys was being allowed to keep his Hogwarts things with him. Unfortunately, that was where the Dursleys drew the line. Harry's broom, cauldron, wand, and spellbooks were locked away in the cupboard under the stairs, Harry's old bedroom. This made it very difficult for Harry to get his summer homework done. Fortunately, Harry had been able to pick the lock on the cupboard and take some of his books back upstairs when the Dursleys were outside admiring Uncle Vernon's new car.

And so, Harry did his homework in the dead of night, when his relatives slept. With one hand he held a flashlight over his parchment and History of Magic book, and with the other he held his quill. Professor Longbottom, a stern old woman and grandmother of Harry's friend Neville, had assigned an essay over the summer. It was the same essay all Hogwarts students received between their second and third years, with the only difference being that Professor Longbottom was actually going to grade them, unlike her predecessor, Professor Binns.

Harry had just finished a paragraph on Wendelin the Weird and how witch burning was completely pointless when he happened to take a look at the clock on his bedside table and saw that it was one in the morning. It wasn't the time itself that was so significant to Harry (he had stayed up far later trying to complete his charms essay) but the date. It was July 31st, Harry's birthday, which meant he had been thirteen years old for an hour now without realizing. He stood up and stretched, but didn't feel any different. He certainly didn't feel incredibly moody. Perhaps there was some hope for him yet.

As he looked out the window and surveyed Privet Drive, Harry noticed a strange shape heading towards his window. Looking more closely, he realized that it was Hedwig and two other owls. He moved quickly out of the way, and the trio swooped in. Upon further inspection, Harry could see that one of the owls was Percy's, a screech owl named Hermes that had been Percy's present for making prefect. The remaining owl was one that Harry didn't recognize, but he knew what it was there for. Dropping a package and a letter with the Hogwarts crest on it, the handsome school owl ruffled its feathers importantly and took off.

Hermes and Hedwig flew over to Hedwig's water dish, and Harry picked up the envelopes they had left behind. He first opened the one that Hermes had dropped off. Out fell two scraps of paper, a newspaper clipping and a letter. First, Harry scanned the clipping.

**Ministry of Magic Employee Scoops Grand Prize**

The headline of the Daily Prophet screamed. Underneath was a picture of the Weasley family, including Bill and Charlie, whom Harry had never met. Harry's best friend Ron had even managed to sneak his pet rat Scabbers into the photo, perched on top of his shoulder. Harry began to read the article.

_Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, has won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. A delighted Mr. Weasley told the Daily Prophet, "We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank." The Weasley family will be spending a month in Egypt, returning for the start of the new school year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley children currently attend._

Harry grinned. He couldn't think of anyone more deserving of the money than the Weasley family, who were very nice and extremely poor. He unfolded Ron's letter and started to read.

_Dear Harry,_

_Happy birthday!_

_I'm really sorry about that telephone call. I asked Dad, and he reckons I shouldn't have shouted. The twins wouldn't stop ribbing me for it. I hope the Muggles didn't give you a hard time. It's really amazing here in Egypt. Bill showed us all the tombs, and it's one of the coolest places I've ever been. Mum wouldn't let Ginny come in the last one, some of the curses were so nasty. There were all sorts of mutant skeletons in there. In case you didn't know, the Daily Prophet Draw has a prize of seven hundred galleons. Can you believe it? Most of the money's going on the trip, but Mum said they'd get me a new wand for third year._

Harry smiled. Ron had gotten Charlie's old wand because his family couldn't afford to buy Ron a new one. Ron had been a little jealous when Neville's grandmother had bought him a new one, and now Ron would finally have a wand that was truly his.

_We'll be back about a week before term starts and we'll be going up to London to get my new wand and our new books. Try your hardest to come to London. Hermione about died when I told her we were going that late. By the way, Percy's the one who suggested we use Hermes. He said Errol didn't look like he would've made it. _

_Don't let the Muggles get you down!_

_Try and come to London,_

_Ron_

_P.S. Percy's Head Boy. He got the letter last week._

Harry took another look at the photograph. Percy had pinned his Head Boy badge on his fez, looking impossibly pleased with himself.

Next, Harry opened the present Hermes had carried with him. Inside was what looked like a miniature glass spinning top. There was another note from Ron beneath it.

Harry—this is a Pocket Sneakoscope. If there's someone untrustworthy around, it's supposed to light up and spin. Bill says it's rubbish sold for wizard tourists and isn't reliable, because it kept lighting up at dinner last night. But he didn't realize that Fred and George had put beetles in his soup.

Bye—

Ron

Harry put the Pocket Sneakoscope on his bedside table, happy when it stood quite still and balanced on its point. Next he took the letter and package from Hedwig, which were both from Hermione.

_Dear Harry,_

_Ron wrote to me and told me about his phone call to your uncle. I do hope you're alright. Lavender and I agreed that calling you probably wouldn't work out very well, even though we'd be able to talk on a telephone just fine._

_I'm on holiday in France at the moment and I didn't know how I was going to send this to you—what if they'd opened it at customs?—but then Hedwig turned up! I think she wanted to make sure you got something for your birthday for a change. I bought your present by owl-order; there was an advertisement in the Daily Prophet (I've been getting it delivered; it's so good to keep up with what's going on in the Wizarding world). The others said they'd give you their presents when we got to school. Did you see that picture of Ron and his family a week ago? I bet he's learning loads. I'm really jealous—the ancient Egyptian wizards were fascinating._

_There's some interesting local history of witchcraft here, too. I've rewritten my whole History of Magic essay to include some of the things I've found out. I hope it's not too long—it's two rolls of parchment more than Professor Longbottom asked for. Katie's so lucky! She's in Africa right now with her dad, and she said she's learning tons too._

_Ron says he's going to be in London in the last week of the holidays. Can you make it? Will your aunt and uncle let you come? I really hope you can. If not, I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express on September first!_

_Love from_

_Hermione_

_P.S. Did you hear that Percy and Penny made Head Boy and Girl? I'll bet they're really pleased. Ron doesn't seem too happy about it._

Harry laughed as he put Hermione's letter aside and picked up her present. It was very heavy. He was expecting another book on defense, like her last present had been, but it wasn't. It was a sleek black leather case, with silver words stamped across it, reading _Broomstick Servicing Kit_.

"Wow, Hermione!" Harry whispered, unzipping the case to look inside.

There was a large jar of Fleetwood's High-Finish Handle Polish, a pair of gleaming silver Tail-Twig Clippers, a tiny brass compass to clip on your broom for long journey, and a Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broomcare.

Harry missed Quidditch quite a bit, although he suspected that if his friend Oliver Wood were to be in Harry's position, Oliver might just go insane. Harry wasn't allowed to play Quidditch in front of Muggles, because it would violate the Statue of Secrecy. Oliver was more than a little obsessed with the game, and he had just gotten signed to Puddlemere United, his favorite team. Oliver was at training camp right at that moment.

Harry the picked up his final parcel. The scrawl on the brown paper could belong to no other than Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper. Tearing off the paper, he caught sight of something green and leathery, but he couldn't get any further without the object snapping, almost as though it had jaws.

Harry couldn't help but freeze. Hagrid was fond of incredibly dangerous beasts that he thought were just cute little pets. His past interests had been in dragons, giant spiders, and vicious three-headed dogs.

Harry nervously poked the parcel again, and it snapped its jaws. Harry reached for his lamp, gripping it tightly, and pulled the rest of the paper back. A book fell out, emblazoned with the golden title The Monster Book of Monsters, and it flipped over onto its edge before scuttling sideways along the bed.

"Uh-oh," Harry muttered.

The book toppled off the bed and shuffled across the room. It seemed to like dark places, for it hid in the space under his desk. He hoped the Dursleys were still sleeping. Harry leaned forward and reached for the book.

"Ouch!"

The book seemingly bit his hand before flapping away. Harry scrambled around, threw himself forward, and and managed to flatten it. He grabbed a belt from his dressers and tied it tightly around the book. The Monster Book of Monsters shuddered angrily, but could no longer flap and snap.

Harry grabbed the card from Hagrid.

_Dear Harry,_

_Happy birthday!_

_Think you might find this useful for next year. Won't say no more here. Tell you when I see you. Hope the Muggles are treating you right._

_All the best,_

_Hagrid_

It struck Harry as ominous that Hagrid thought a biting book would come in handy, but he put Hagrid's card up next to Ron's and Hermione's, grinning more broadly than ever. Now there was only the letter from Hogwarts left.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock._

_Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission from to your parent or guardian to sign._

_A list of books for next year is enclosed._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Professor A. Sinistra_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Harry pulled out the Hogsmeade permission form and looked at it, no longer grinning. It would be wonderful to visit Hogsmeade on weekends; he knew it was an entirely Wizarding village, and he had never set foot there. But how on earth was he going to persuade Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia to sign the form?

He looked over at the clock and saw that it was now two. He decided to worry about the Hogsmeade form later. For the next few minutes, he sifted through all the letters he'd received so far, not reading them, just seeing them. They were proof that maybe Harry could be a normal boy after all, one with friends who genuinely cared.

* * *

The next morning Harry went down the stairs to find all three Dursleys sitting at the kitchen table, eyes glued to the brand new television. It was a welcome-home-for-the-summer present for Dudley, who had been complaining loudly about the long walk between the fridge and the television in the living room.

Harry was not greeted in any way, shape or form, something Harry was used to. He had never once been wished a happy birthday, and that was just the way he liked it. Harry helped himself to a piece of toast and then looked up at the reporter on the television, who was halfway through a report on an escaped convict:

"…The public is warned that Black is armed and extremely dangerous. A special hot line has been set up, and any sighting of Black should be reported immediately."

"No need to tell us he's no good," snorted Uncle Vernon, staring over the top of his newspaper at the prisoner. "Look at the state of him, the filthy layabout! Look at his hair!"

He shot a nasty glance sideways at Harry, whose untidy hair had always been a source of great annoyance to Uncle Vernon. Compared to the man on the television, however, whose gaunt face was surrounded by a matted, elbow-length tangle, Harry felt very well groomed indeed.

The reporter had reappeared.

"The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will announce today—"

"Hang on!" barked Uncle Vernon, staring furiously at the reporter. "You didn't tell us where that maniac's escaped from! What use is that? Lunatic could be coming up the street right now!"

Harry found highly unlikely that Black would have any reason to come to Privet drive, but he refrained from saying so.

"When will they learn," said Uncle Vernon, pounding the table with his large purple fist, "that hanging's the only way to deal with these people?"

"Very true," said Aunt Petunia, staring out at the street as though she might catch a glimpse of Black.

Uncle Vernon drained his teacup, glanced at his watch, and added, "I'd better be off in a minute, Petunia. Marge's train gets in at ten."

Harry, who had been daydreaming about the Broomstick Servicing Kit, jolted back to reality.

"Aunt Marge?" He blurted out, though he knew no other Marge. "Sh—she's not coming here, is she?"

Aunt Marge was Uncle Vernon's sister. Even though she was not a blood relative of Harry's (whose mother had been Aunt Petunia's sister), he had been forced to call her "Aunt" al is life. Aunt Marge lived in the country, in a house with a large garden, where she bred bulldogs. She didn't often stay at Privet Drive, because she couldn't bear to leave her precious dogs, but each of her visits stood out horribly vividly in Harry's mind.

Aunt Marge had gone to great pains to ensure that Harry knew she didn't approve of him. Harry had once told Lee that she was worse than Lee's Great-Aunt Mildred, his grandmother, and his Aunt Abigail combined. Lee had written back that he thought a person like that would combust, because there was no way a human body could carry that much evil in them.

"Marge'll be here for a week," Uncle Vernon snarled, "and while we're on the subject"—he pointed a fat finger threateningly at Harry—"we need to get a few things straight before I go and collect her."

Dudley turned away from the television and smirked. Dudley loved seeing Harry be bullied by Uncle Vernon, no matter the subject.

"Firstly," growled Uncle Vernon, "you'll keep a civil tongue in your head when you're talking to Marge."

"All right," said Harry bitterly, "if she does when she's talking to me."

"Secondly," said Uncle Vernon, acting as though he had not heard Harry's reply, "as Marge doesn't know anything about your abnormality, I don't want any—any funny stuff while she's here. You behave yourself, got me?"

"I will if she does," said Harry through gritted teeth.

"And thirdly," said Uncle Vernon, his mean little eyes now slits in his great purple face, "we've told Marge you attend St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys."

"What?" Harry yelled.

"And you'll be sticking to that story, boy, or there'll be trouble," spat Uncle Vernon.

Harry sat there, white-faced and furious, staring at Uncle Vernon, hardly able to believe it. Aunt Marge coming for a week-long visit—it was the worst birthday present the Dursleys had ever given him, including that pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.

"Well, Petunia," said Uncle Vernon, getting heavily to his feet. "I'll be off to the station, then. Want to come along for the ride, Dudders?"

"No," said Dudley, whose attention had returned to the television now that Uncle Vernon had finished threatening Harry.

Harry had a sudden idea just as Uncle Vernon left the kitchen. Leaving his toast, he quickly followed Uncle Vernon out to the front door.

"I'm not taking you," He snarled as he turned to see Harry watching him.

"Like I wanted to come," said Harry coldly. "I want to ask you something."

Uncle Vernon eyed him suspiciously.

"Third years at Hog—at my school are allowed to visit the village sometimes," said Harry.

"So?" snapped Uncle Vernon, taking his car keys from a hook next to the door.

"I need you to sign the permission form," said Harry in a rush.

"And why would I do that?" sneered Uncle Vernon.

"Well," said Harry, choosing his words carefully, "it'll be hard work, pretending to Aunt Marge I go to that St. Whatsits—"

"St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys!" bellowed Uncle Vernon, and Harry was pleased to hear a definite note of panic in Uncle Vernon's voice.

"Exactly," said Harry, inwardly marveling at his ability to stay so calm. He had learned a lot from the twins, it seemed. "It's a lot to remember. I'll have to make it sound convincing, won't I? What if I accidentally let something slip?"

"You'll get the stuffing knocked out of you, won't you?" roared Uncle Vernon, advancing on Harry with his fist raised.

"Knocking the stuffing out of me won't make Aunt Marge forget what I could tell her," He said bravely. "But if you sign my permission form, I swear I'll remember where I'm supposed to go to school, and I'll act like a Mug—like I'm normal and everything."

Uncle Vernon mulled this over for a bit. "Right," he snapped finally. "I shall monitor your behavior carefully during Marge's visit. If, at the end of it, you've toed the line and kept to the story, I'll sign your ruddy form."

Harry padded back up the stairs gloomily. He returned to his room to find that Hermes had already flown off. He carefully gathered all the letters and cards from his friends and put them in a box, stashed under a loose floorboard with his homework.

"Hedwig," He said grimly. "You're going to have to clear off for a week. Go stay with the Weasleys. Ron'll look after you. I'll write him a note, explaining. And don't look at me like that"—Hedwig's large amber eyes were reproachful—"it's not my fault. It's the only way I'll be allowed to visit Hogsmeade with all my friends."

Aunt Marge arrived at the Dursleys home shortly after, and Harry vowed that he wouldn't make any smart remarks to her numerous insults. Instead, he would think of good things, like his Broomstick Servicing Kit and his friends reactions to the Dursleys.

"Do something about your hair!" Aunt Petunia snapped as he reached the hall.

Harry couldn't see the point of trying to make his hair lie flat. Aunt Marge loved criticizing him, so the untidier he looked, the happier she would be.

"Get the door!" Aunt Petunia hissed at Harry.

Aunt Marge looked a lot like Uncle Vernon, except she wore clothes that resembled women's fashion from the 1950s. She was large, beefy, purple faced, and in possession of a mustache. She had a huge suitcase and a rather ugly looking bulldog.

As greetings were made, Harry thought of anything else but Marge. He thought of what Fred and George might say if they knew he was supposedly going to a school for criminals. He thought of the look on Alicia's face if she saw the drool coming out of Ripper's mouth. He imagined what Lavender might think of Aunt Marge's outfit, and what Lee would do if he had to share a house with her.

* * *

As the week went on, Harry found it increasingly easier to zone out and think of his friends instead of Marge. He had taken to reciting all of their letters. He knew everything about them by now. He knew that Oliver hated his roommates, and Dean had just been told that his people looked fantastic but his animals looked childish. He knew that Seamus was ready to die if he heard another sheep bleat, and that Parvati had puked on her first magic carpet ride. They were much nicer things to think of than Marge.

Harry congratulated himself on lasting the whole week. It was the final evening of Aunt Marge's visit. She had been drinking quite a bit, and Uncle Vernon kept offering her more. Harry was just about to excuse himself when Aunt Marge began to speak again.

"I do like to see a healthy-sized boy," she went on, winking at Dudley. "You'll be a proper-sized man, Dudders, like your father. Yes, I'll have a spot more brandy, Vernon…"

"Now, this one here—"

She jerked her head at Harry, who quickly thought of Neville's letter detailing his newest plant.

"This one's got a mean, runty look about him. You get that with dogs. I had Colonel Fubster drown one last year. Ratty little thing it was. Weak. Underbred."

Harry turned to thinking of how to start his Transfiguration essay.

"It all comes down to blood, as I was saying the other day. Bad blood will out. Now, I'm saying nothing against your family, Petunia"—she patted Aunt Petunia's bony hand with her shovel-like one—"but your sister was a bad egg. They turn up in the best families. Then she ran off with a wastrel and here's the result right in front of us."

Harry couldn't seem to focus on anything at that moment except what Aunt Marge was saying.

"This Potter," said Aunt Marge loudly, seizing the brandy bottle and splashing more into her glass and over the tablecloth, "you never told me what he did?"

"He—didn't work," said Uncle Vernon, eyes darting to Harry. "Unemployed."

"As I expected!" said Aunt Marge, taking a huge swig of brandy and wiping her chin on her sleeve. "A no-account, good for nothing, lazy scrounger who—"

"He was not," Harry said quietly. He had never felt so angry in his life. He was trembling with the force of his fury.

"MORE BRANDY!" yelled Uncle Vernon, who had gone very white. He emptied the bottle into Aunt Marge's glass. "You, boy," he snarled at Harry. "Go to bed, go on—"

"No, Vernon," hiccupped Aunt Marge, holding up a hand, her tiny bloodshot eyes fixed on Harry's. "Go on, boy, go on. Proud of your parents, are you? They go and get themselves killed in a car crash (drunk, I expect)—"

"They didn't die in a car crash!" Harry shouted.

"They died in a car crash, you nasty little liar, and left you to be a burden on their decent, hardworking relatives!" screamed Aunt Marge, swelling with fury. "You are an insolent, ungrateful little—"

Aunt Marge immediately stopped talking. She couldn't seem to say anything more. She was swelling up in her righteousness, but she never stopped swelling. She began to puff up, growing bigger and bigger, every part of her expanding and bulging. She was inflating like a balloon, never stopping—

"MARGE!" yelled Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Aunt Marge was now floating in the air, perfectly round, with her clothes popping open. Her hands and feet stuck out awkwardly. Ripper ran after her barking like mad.

Harry ran out of the room, racing to the cupboard. It burst open without him even trying to use magic. He pulled all of his things out and raced up the stairs to retrieve the letters, Hedwig's cage, and his school books from under the loose floorboard. Uncle Vernon burst out of the dining room, shouting obscenities.

"COME BACK IN HERE!" he bellowed. "COME BACK AND PUT HER RIGHT!"

Harry kicked his trunk open and pulled out his wand, pointing it straight at Uncle Vernon.

"She deserved it," Harry said. "She deserved what she got. You keep away from me."

He fumbled behind him for the latch on the door.

"I'm going," Harry said. "I've had enough."

And in the next moment, he was out in the dark, quiet street, heaving his heavy trunk behind him, Hedwig's cage under his arm.

* * *

**Reply to review made by Jmw:**

**If I do end up going past fifth year, it would be as a seperate fic, and it would end up happening once everyone's out of Hogwarts. I honestly think that if I do HBP and DH, it would turn out very, very badly. I'll keep the pairing suggestions in mind. Thanks for reviewing!**


	32. Chapter 32

**AN: I know it's been forever, and I'm so sorry about that. I'm afraid it's only going to get worse from here, because May is one of my busiest months. But don't worry, I'm still here, still writing. Thanks to all of you readers, favoriters, and followers who have stuck with Harry and the gang this far. We're just about to hit 1,000 followers! Tons of thanks to those of you who dropped a review: Guest, Majerus, unit2337, Beloved Daughter, Lucky Guard, MusicAnimal, Jmw, Valentina Alexandrea Sparrow, 1sunfun, Kairan1979, Penny is wise, Firenze Fox, Lightningblade49, Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER, Igor De Souza Santos, Lady Sabine of Macayhill, magitech, Books are air, Spring Raine, serialkeller, Alaskan King, Wonderbee31, Tellur, MariusDarkwolf, and ElementKitsune.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

Harry had never felt such a powerful surge of white-hot anger as he did then. He couldn't stand to even think of Aunt Marge without snarling. Harry couldn't imagine feeling any worse than he did at that moment. But five minutes later, as he sat on a low wall on Magnolia Crescent, he felt much, much worse. There he was, stranded in Muggle Surrey, with no means of speaking to anyone from the Wizarding world. He shouldn't have sent Hedwig off. He should've told her to just stay in his room and keep quiet; she was a smart owl, and she would've done as he asked. Now he couldn't do anything.

He had no money, besides a few spare galleons at the bottom of his trunk. But so far as Harry knew, the only way to exchange would be at Gringotts, and he had no way of getting there. He was well and truly stranded. The only thing he could do now was use his wand and hope to make it to one of his friend's houses on foot. He could fly, but then his stuff would be stranded in Surrey, because Harry had no clue how to take it with him.

He had already broken the rules and used magic, in front of a muggle no less. He supposed the Ministry would wipe her memory, like Lockhart did with his many victims. Thinking of Lockhart made Harry think of Hogwarts, which made his heart begin to hurt. He forced those thoughts out of his mind.

He had gone against the law and used magic. What was a little more? He could charm his trunk feather-light and tie it to his broom before flying to London to exchange his money and make his way to a friend's house. He wasn't entirely sure how to get to most of them, and he was certain that things would look different from the sky. If all else failed, he could go to Lavender in London. She had mentioned the fashion agency she'd be working at in one of her letters. He would just have to ask someone for directions and figure it out.

A plan outlined in his head, he opened up the trunk and searched for his Invisibility Cloak. Just as he undid the latch, he began to feel a funny prickling sensation on the back of his neck, almost like he was being watched. He whipped his head around, but couldn't see anything.

He bent back over his trunk, still searching for it when the hair on his arms began to stand up. He rose, wand clutched tightly in his hand, watching the dark space across from him. He could see something now; a black shape. It was a strange lumpy thing, and he couldn't figure out what.

"Lumos!" He hissed. A light flared at the tip of his wand, and he stepped forward, squinting into the light. He still couldn't see the shape, but he could see two gleaming, wide eyes. He stumbled backward, shocked by…whatever it was. He didn't realize that his trunk was right behind him, and he tripped over it. He flung his arm out to break his fall, and his wand flew out of his hand and clattered to the ground.

A loud BANG was heard, and Harry turned to meet impossibly bright lights, and he rolled away quickly—

It was a lucky thing that he did, because he soon saw an eccentric, purple, triple-decker bus. Gold lettering over the windshield proclaimed The Knight Bus. Harry could only stare in surprise, wondering if he had hit his head without realizing it.

A conductor jumped out of the bus and stood, his back ram-rod straight, dressed in a purple uniform. He began to recite some kind of greeting.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this eve—"

The conductor stopped rather abruptly upon catching sight of Harry, who was still lying on the ground. Harry snatched up his wand and scrambled back up to look Stan Shunpike in the eye. Stan couldn't have been much older than Harry, perhaps eighteen or nineteen. He had large, protruding ears, a pimply complexion, and a vacant stare eerily reminiscent of Crabbe and Goyle.

He also didn't seem particularly impressed with Harry, and he dropped his professional shtick. "What were you doin' down there?" He asked, almost accusingly.

"I fell over." Harry shrugged, feeling as though this were all the explanation it required.

"'Choo fall over for?" Stan asked, sniggering behind his hand.

"I didn't do it on purpose," Harry replied, quite annoyed. Harry now realized he felt more than a bit sore, his hands and knees both badly injured from his fall. He suddenly remembered what had caused the fall, and he strained his neck around to look back at the spot where he had seen the thing. There was nothing there anymore.

"'Choo lookin' at?" Stan wanted to know.

"There was a big black thing," Harry told him, gesturing vaguely to the area. "Like a dog…but massive…" Harry trailed off as he realized how odd he must sound.

Stan was either a mouth breather, or he had a perpetually shocked expression on his face, for he stared at Harry with his jaw dropped. Harry squirmed uncomfortably and ran a hand through his hair, unknowingly revealing his scar to the boy.

"'Woss that on your head?" Stan said, immediately shifting his attention.

"Nothing." Harry quickly smoothed down his bangs to cover up his scar. He didn't want anyone knowing Harry Potter had taken the Knight Bus and looked like a lunatic.

"'Woss your name?" Stan persisted.

Harry cast about wildly for a moment. "Erm, Justin Finch-Fletchley," He blurted the first name to come to mind. "So…so does this bus go anywhere?" He hurriedly changed the subject.

"Yep," Stan said proudly. "Anywhere on land that is. Can't do nuffink underwater. We tried, course, but the Knight Boat didn't really work out." Stan paused for a moment, then shuddered. "'Ere, you did flag us down, dincha? Stuck out your wand 'and, dincha?"

"Yes," Harry lied quickly. "Listen, how much money would it take to get to London?"

"Eleven Sickles," Stan said, assuming his previous business-like manner. "But for firteen you get 'ot chocolate, and for fifteen you get an 'ot water bottle and an' a toofbrush in the color of your choice."

Harry rummaged in his trunk and shoved a fistful of coins at Stan, not really caring whether he got a hot chocolate or not. Harry received another shock as he boarded the bus and saw that instead of seats, they had brass beds.

"You get this one, right behind the driver," Stan said in a loud whisper, trying not to disturb the other passengers on the bus. "This is our driver, Ernie Prang. Ern, this is Justin Finch-Fletchley."

Ernie Prang didn't look as though he really cared who Harry was. Nonetheless, he nodded politely and blinked behind his large, thick framed glasses.

"Take 'er away, Ern," Stan directed from his comfy armchair next to Ernie.

With another loud BANG, and Harry felt himself fly backwards onto his back on the bed. The Knight Bus was faster, and probably a lot more dangerous than flying. Harry pulled himself up to gaze out of the window. Everything passed by in a blur, and Harry began to feel a little queasy. Stan seemed to find Harry's facial expressions highly amusing.

"This is where we was before you flagged us down," He said. "Where are we, Ern? Somewhere in Wales?"

Harry struggled to remember which of his friends lived in Wales. Mentally, he went through them all. Lavender was in London, Angelina was in Andover, Cormac was in Chesterfield…

Stan left to go wake up a woman named Madam Marsh, as Harry looked at the passing scenery with fear. So far, the Knight Bus seemed to easily avoid all of the obstacles in its course. In fact, Harry had a sneaking suspicion that the bus was enchanted so that all objects jumped out of its way.

"'Ere you go Madam Marsh," Stan said happily, returning with a witch who looked a little green.

Harry kept thinking. Dean was in Aldgate, central London, Alicia lived in Gainsborough…

Madam Marsh hurried off the Knight Bus, clutching a handkerchief to her mouth. The Knight Bus gave another BANG, and began to race away, just as Harry remembered that Lee lived in Wales, but his family generally didn't like visitors unless they could stand to gain something, and they really didn't like unannounced visitors.

The Knight Bus continued to swerve and squeeze into areas while Harry leaned back in the bed, feeling sick to his stomach. He wondered how the tiny wizard farther back could sleep so peacefully. Harry was certain that even if the Knight Bus drove like a normal bus, he wouldn't have been able to sleep. He could only think of Aunt Marge, the Dursleys, and what was going to happen to him now that he had broken the restriction on underage magic.

Stan flapped open the latest copy of the Daily Prophet and began to read. He was concentrating very hard, and he stuck his tongue out the corner of his mouth as he did so. On the front page was a picture of a man with long, matted hair and a strange gleam in his eyes. He looked familiar.

"That man!" Harry blurted out, forgetting himself. "He was on the Muggle news!"

Stan turned to the front page and chuckled condescendingly. "Sirius Black," He nodded knowingly. "Of course he was on the Muggle news, Justin, where have you been?" Stan gave another chuckle at the confused look on Harry's face. He removed the front page of the newspaper and handed it to Harry.

**Black Still at Large!**

_Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today._

"_We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, "and we beg the magical community to remain calm."_

_Fudge has been criticized by some member of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis._

"_Well, really, I had to, don't you know," said an irritable Fudge. "Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or Muggle. I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it—who'd believe him if he did?"_

_While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of metal wand that Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse._

Harry looked into the shadowed eyes of Sirius Black, the only part of the sunken face that seemed alive. Harry had never met a vampire, but he had seen pictures of them in his Defense Against the Dark Arts class, as Lockhart bragged about how he had slayed one, and Harry thought that Black, with his waxy white skin, looked just like one.

"Scary-lookin' fing, inee?" said Stan, who had been watching Harry read.

"He murdered thirteen people?" said Harry, handing the page back to Stan, "with one curse?"

"Black woz a big supporter of You-Know-'Oo," he said.

"What, Voldemort?" said Harry, without thinking.

Even Stan's pimples went white; Ern jerked the steering wheel so hard that a whole farmhouse had to jump aside to avoid the bus.

"You outta your tree?" yelped Stan. "'Choo say is name for?"

"Sorry," said Harry hastily. "Sorry, I—I forgot—"

And it was true. Harry had forgotten he wasn't supposed to say the name. Most of Harry's friends had followed Oliver's example and had said his name, though typically with flinching involved. There were still a few who flat out refused, but at least they didn't appear to have a reaction anymore when it was mentioned in their presence.

Stan slowly began to recover from his shock. "Very close to You-Know-'Oo, they say. Anyway, when little 'Arry Potter got the better of You-Know-'Oo—"

Harry nervously flattened his bangs down again.

"—all You-Know-'Oo's supporters was tracked down, wasn't they, Ern? Most of 'em knew it was all over, wiv You-Know-'Oo gone, and they came quiet. But not Sirius Black. I 'eard he thought 'e'd be second-in-command once You-Know-'Oo 'ad taken over.

"Anyway, they cornered Black in the middle of a street full of Muggles an' Black took out 'is wand and 'e blasted 'alf the street apart, an' a wizard got it, an' so did a dozen Muggles what got in the way. 'Orrible, eh? An' you know what Black did then?" Stan continued in a dramatic whisper.

"What?" said Harry, utterly captivated.

"Laughed," Stan said. "Jus' stood there an' laughed. An' when reinforcements from the Ministry of Magic got there, 'e went wiv 'em quiet as anyfink, still laughing 'is 'ead off. 'Cos 'e's mad, inee Ern? Inee mad?"

"If he weren't when he went to Azkaban, he will be now," said Ern in his slow voice. "I'd blow meself up before I set foot in that place. Serves him right, mind you…after what he did…"

"They 'ad a job coverin' it up, din' they Ern?" Stan said. "'Ole street blown up an' all them Muggles dead. What was it they said 'ad 'appened Ern?"

"Gas explosion," grunted Ernie.

"An' now 'e's out," said Stan, with a sort of morbid excitement. "Never been a breakout from Azkaban before, 'as there Ern? Beats me 'ow 'e did it. Frightenin' eh? Mind, I don't fancy 'is chances against them Azkaban guards, eh, Ern?"

Ernie quickly changed the subject.

Harry was glad to find that they reached the Leaky Cauldron only about ten minutes later. He couldn't stand sitting there any longer, wondering. He went over the plan one last time in his head: he would lie low in the Leaky Cauldron until Gringotts opened, take out of all of his money he could get his hands on, convert it to pounds, and go find Lavender in London. She was the only one of his friends that would be close by. If he couldn't find her…well, he didn't know what he'd do. Not being able to locate Lavender was not an option, he decided firmly. She was his only chance.

Ernie slammed on the brakes and the Knight Bus screeched to a halt in front of the Leaky Cauldron. Stan picked up Harry's luggage and descended the steps.

"Thanks," Harry told Ern. He took his trunk from Stan and set it gently on the ground. "Well, bye!" Harry said cheerily, glad to finally be rid of him.

Stan didn't move, fixated on a shadowy figure in the doorway of the pub.

"There you are, Harry!" A voice called. A hand reached out and grabbed Harry's shoulder. Harry felt his stomach drop and looked up to see Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic.

Stan bounced on the balls of his feet, a dumb, toothy grin on his face. "What didja call Justin, Minister?" He asked eagerly, dragging Ernie out of the bus.

Fudge adjusted his green bowler hat and stared at Stan, bewildered. "Justin? No, no, this is Harry Potter."

"I knew it!" Stan shouted gleefully. "I knew you wasn't named Justin. Ern, Ern, you know who Justin is? E' Harry Potter! Justin's Harry Potter!"

Fudge shifted impatiently. "Yes, that's all very well," He said testily. "I'm sure Harry is very glad that the Knight Bus was available to pick him up, but he and I need to step inside and have a little chat."

Fudge clutched Harry's shoulder tightly and steered him into the Leaky Cauldron. Another shadowy figure, tall and slim, appeared in the doorway, holding a glowing lantern. As it got closer, Harry could make out the toothless smile and wrinkled face of Tom, the bartender.

"You've got him Minister!" Tom said joyfully. "Will you be wanting anything? Beer? Brandy?"

"A pot of tea would be lovely, Tom." Fudge still hadn't let go of Harry. Harry got the impression that Fudge was worried he might attempt to run away.

Stan and Ernie followed behind, dragging Harry's belongings with them. There were only a few people in the bar at that hour, but they all turned to watch the group.

"'Ow come you di'n't tell us 'oo you are, eh, Justin?" said Stan. Harry felt like snapping back that he wasn't Justin, and that he wasn't the-boy-who-lived either. He was just Harry. He felt like that would be a little too much for Stan to handle though, so he kept silent.

"And a private parlor, Tom," Fudge added, becoming even more irritated.

"Bye," Harry called back to Ernie and Stan, his blood turning to ice in his veins.

"Bye Justin!" Stan shouted happily.

Once the two were settled in, Fudge looked up at Harry solemnly.

"I am Cornelius Fudge, Harry. The Minister of Magic."

Harry knew this already. He had seen Fudge once before, when the man had come to take Hagrid away. Ron, Hermione, and Harry had stayed huddled in the corner, underneath an Invisibility Cloak.

"Well, Harry, you've had us all in a right flap, I don't mind telling you. Running away from your aunt and uncle's house like that! I'd started to think…but you're safe, and that's what matters." Fudge buttered himself a crumpet and poured some tea, before offering it to Harry.

"Eat, Harry, you look dead on your feet. Now then…You will be pleased to hear that we have dealt with the unfortunate blowing-up of Miss Marjorie Dursley. Two members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Department were dispatched to Privet Drive a few hours ago. Miss Dursley has been punctured and her memory modified. She has no recollection of the incident at all. So that's that, and no harm done."

Harry almost wished they could have modified the other Dursleys' memories too. But he didn't say this to Fudge, who was smiling genially at Harry over the rim of his tea cup.

"I assume you're worried about the reaction of your aunt and uncle?" said Fudge. "Well, I won't deny that they are extremely angry, Harry, but they are prepared to take you back next summer as long as you stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays."

Harry found his voice again. "I always stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays," he said, "and I don't ever want to go back to Privet Drive."

"Now, now, I'm sure you'll feel differently once you've calmed down," said Fudge in a worried tone. "They are your family, after all, and I'm sure you are fond of each other—er—very deep down."

Harry didn't bother to correct Fudge. He just wanted to know what was going on next.

"So all that remains," said Fudge, now buttering himself a second crumpet, "is to decide where you're going to spend the last two weeks of your vacation. I suggest you take a room here at the Leaky Cauldron and—"

"Hang on" blurted Harry. "What about my punishment?"

Fudge blinked.

"Punishment?"

"I broke the law!" Harry said. "I have a friend that told me about it a couple of times. The Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry!"

"Oh, my dear boy, we're not going to punish you for a little thing like that!" cried Fudge, waving his crumpet impatiently. "It was an accident! We don't send people to Azkaban just for blowing up their aunts!"

That didn't really make much sense to Harry. Percy had always adored the Ministry, and he talked about them for what seemed like hours on end. Harry had only ever paid attention to the lecture on the importance of not practicing magic at home. Harry had asked what would happen if you had an incident with accidental magic, and Percy had assured him that things like that didn't typically happen after you had gotten your wand. Did that mean that Harry was once again different from the others? Or did that mean that Percy was wrong?

"Besides, surely you don't want to be expelled?" Fudge added.

"Of course I don't," said Harry.

"Well then, what's all the fuss about?" laughed Fudge. "Now, have a crumpet, Harry, while I go and see if Tom's got a room for you."

Fudge strode out of the parlor and Harry stared after him. There was something extremely odd going on. Why had Fudge been waiting for him at the Leaky Cauldron, if not to punish him for what he'd done? And now Harry came to think of it, surely it wasn't usual for the Minister of Magic himself to get involved in matters of underage magic? And why had he insisted that Harry stay at the Leaky Cauldron?

"Room eleven's free, Harry," Fudge said, reappearing with Tom the innkeeper. "I think you'll be very comfortable. Just one thing, and I'm sure you'll understand…I don't want you wandering off into Muggle London, all right? Keep to Diagon Alley. And you're to be back here before dark each night. Sure you'll understand. Tom will be keeping an eye on you for me."

"Okay," said Harry slowly. Then he thought of Dean and Lavender, both out in the Muggle world. "But why—"

"Don't want to lose you again, do we?" said Fudge with a hearty laugh. "No, no…best we know where you are…I mean…"

Fudge cleared his throat loudly and picked up his pinstriped cloak.

"Well, I'll be off, plenty to do, you know…"

"Have you had any luck with Black yet?" Harry asked suddenly, hardly knowing why.

Fudge's finger slipped on the silver fastenings of his cloak.

"What's that? Oh, you've heard—well, no, not yet, but it's only a matter of time. The Azkaban guards have never yet failed…and they are angrier than I've ever seen them."

Fudge shuddered slightly.

"So, I'll say good-bye."

He held out his hand and Harry, shaking it, had a sudden idea.

"Er—Minister? Can I ask you something?"

"Certainly," said Fudge with a smile.

"Well, third years at Hogwarts are allowed to visit Hogsmeade, but my aunt and uncle didn't sign the permission form. D'you think you could-?"

Fudge was looking uncomfortable.

"Ah," He said. "No, no, I'm very sorry, Harry, but as I'm not your parent or guardian—"

"But you're the Minister of Magic," said Harry eagerly. "If you gave me permission—"

"No, I'm sorry, Harry, but rules are rules," said Fudge flatly. "Perhaps you'll be able to visit Hogsmeade next year. In fact, I think it's best if you don't…yes…well, I'll be off. Enjoy your stay, Harry."

Harry was led to his room by Tom, who seemed eager to please. Harry was prepared to just go straight to sleep and stay in his room for as long as possible when he caught sight of Hedwig, perched on top of the oak wardrobe.

"Hedwig!" Harry gasped.

"Very smart owl you've got there," chuckled Tom. "Arrived about five minutes after you did. If there's anything you need, Mr. Potter, don't hesitate to ask."

As soon as Tom left, Harry dove toward his desk and began hastily scrawling out letters to all of his friends. He packed them all inside a large, heavy envelope that he sent to Hermione, with explicit instructions to mail everyone their letters so that Hedwig wouldn't get tired. He told them exactly what had happened to him, leaving nothing, not even his suspicions of Fudge, out. He included a quick question about underage magic in Percy's letter.

Finally, he leaned back on the comfortable bed and massaged his hand, which had started to cramp up from all the writing. He gave a happy sigh at the thought of no Dursleys for two whole weeks.

* * *

The next morning, Harry set out to explore Diagon Alley. He had never been allowed to get up at eleven and eat a tall stack of pancakes. It was refreshing. Seeing Diagon Alley felt amazing as well. He had forgotten just how spectacular it all seemed. He could see things that most people didn't even know existed, and he could see it every day for the next two weeks.

Everyone around Harry didn't seem too impressed with all of the shocking sights and sounds, except for the occasional muggleborn that wandered into the alley for the first time. Harry, however, was still surprised by everything he saw. He was sorely tempted to buy every item on the shelf in Gambol and Japes, and the moving model of the galaxy in a large glass ball looked cool too. But the thing that made Harry's heart ache was in the front window of Quality Quidditch Supplies a week after he arrived.

A small crowd was huddled around the display, effectively blocking Harry's view. Harry could still hear them though.

"Just come out—prototype—"

"It's the fastest broom in the world, isn't it, Dad?"

"Irish International Side's just put in an order for seven of these beauties! And they're favorites for the World Cup!"

A large witch in front of Harry moved, and he sidled up closer to the most magnificent broom he'd ever seen.

**The Firebolt**

_This state-of-the-art racing broom sports a stream-lined, superfine handle of ash, treated with a diamond-hard polish and hand-numbered with its own registration number. Each individually selected birch twig in the broomtail has been honed to aerodynamic perfection, giving the Firebolt unsurpassable balance and pinpoint precision. The Firebolt has an acceleration of 150 miles an hour in ten seconds and incorporates an unbreakable Braking Charm. Price on request._

Price on request…Harry didn't like to think how much gold the Firebolt would cost. He had never wanted anything as much in his whole life—but he had never lost a Quidditch match on his Nimbus Two Thousand, and what was the point in emptying his whole vault for something he didn't need? But in his mind, he could just hear Oliver Wood shouting at him to buy it.

Harry shrugged it off and pulled himself away from the display case. There was no point in just staring at it forever, and besides, he had to get his books for Hogwarts. But just before he went into Flourish and Blotts, he spotted a familiar face.

"Harry!" Neville Longbottom waved erratically from in front of the bookshop.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, grinning.

"Getting my books. Gran's inside, arguing with the seller. She does that a lot, haggles with people and claims that their service isn't worth the money they ask her to pay. But never mind me. Did you really blow up your aunt?" Neville gazed at him anxiously.

Harry stopped smiling, and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Er, yeah, I did. It was an accident though, I swear."

"I believe you," Neville assured him. "I knew you wouldn't do something like that on purpose. Sorry I couldn't reply to your letter, though. Gran's been saying that I need to focus on my schoolwork, since I still don't have it all done. I finished her essay in the first week, since she wouldn't stop hounding me about it, but I kind of slacked off on the rest of it. Hermione's probably gonna kill me once she finds out."

Harry stared in surprise. "I don't think I've ever heard you say this much before."

Neville flushed. "Yeah…"

"It's a good thing," Harry told him hurriedly. "Trust me, it is."

Neville still seemed a bit embarrassed, and he quickly changed the subject. "Ron should be coming back anytime now. We're all gonna meet up in the Leaky Cauldron in a couple days. You'll still be there, right?"

"Yeah, of course." Harry beamed at him.

"Neville!" Professor Longbottom hollered from inside Flourish and Blotts. "Come along, we're leaving now."

"They must not have given her what she wanted," Neville whispered. "I'll see you later Harry."

"See you Neville," Harry replied. His day had just gotten a whole lot better.


	33. Chapter 33

**AN: Happy Mother's Day! I hope all you moms out there are having a good time so far. I know I said May would be busy, but I definitely wasn't expecting half the stuff that's happened to me so far. I really, really don't like May, especially when I get sick _and_ have a power outage. Yeah, I could've done without that. This chapter is more of an interlude than anything else. It's not about to become a common occurrence, so if you're not a fan, don't worry. I just thought it would be good to include some extra POV's and background info. Plus, we're only fifteen followers away from 1,000! Just fifteen! So if you're not following yet, do it now and it'll make me super happy! Not that I'm not incredibly thankful for all my current followers and favorites. I am doubly thankful for the reviewers this chapter: To the TARDIS, Books are air, B00kw0rm92, LegendaryArimaspi, MusicAnimal, Jmw, Penny is wise, Firenze Fox, Kairan1979, Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER, ladysavay, Narcissa-Weasly, serialkeller, Spring Raine, Tellur, Lady Sabine of Macayhill, magitech, TheElfThatRodeADemonWalrus, MariusDarkwolf, geetac, ElementKitsune, and red-Jacobson. Remember, we're just fifteen followers away!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

Angelina Johnson loved rollercoasters.

Her mother Stephanie was a Muggle, and despite the fact that the woman generally preferred the wonder of the Wizarding world, it didn't stop her from showing her daughter some of the Muggle world's own magic. Angelina had been treated to amusement parks and movie theaters, among other thrilling experiences, but rollercoasters could hold her attention again and again.

She wasn't entirely sure what it was about them. It wasn't the feeling of the wind through her hair, because she had that on a broom, and it didn't induce that exact sense of euphoria. She had made rather risky saves during Quidditch, but it still didn't measure up.

Angelina had a theory though. She thought it might be the way her stomach dropped every time she went upside down, or raced down the tracks at frightening speeds. It was true that she could technically do that on a broom, but it just wasn't the same. Angelina suspected that it might be because, on a rollercoaster, the rational part of your brain knew that you were safe, but the rest of your body was terrified that something would happen, even for just a moment.

Angelina lived for those moments.

She had never felt anything quite like it. At least, not until the summer before her fifth year, when she received a startling letter from Harry Potter. She relieved the owl at the window of his burden, and she had calmly unfolded the letter, just as she always did. She skimmed through it at first, before her eyes got caught on a sentence that made her stomach drop, just like on a rollercoaster.

"…_blew up my aunt…"_

She staggered and collapsed back onto her bed. He blew up his aunt? How was that even possible? And what did he mean by blowing up? Did he mean like a balloon, or like he had accidentally caused her to explode like a stick of dynamite? Knowing Harry, it was most likely the former, but Angelina couldn't stop the shudder that ran up her spine.

She continued to read as her palms began to sweat and her heart began to race. Other phrases jumped at her, and she blinked rapidly.

"…_Cornelius Fudge waiting for me…"_

"…_acted really strangely…"_

"…_didn't even get punished!"_

Angelina swung her legs over the side of her brass bed before walking over to the window and sticking her head out. She took deep breaths, feeling like those little kids who were stupid enough to stuff themselves with candy floss before getting on a fast Ferris wheel. She read the last sentence over and over again to reassure herself.

"_I'm doing fine now though, and I can't wait to see you again."_

_Harry was fine_, she told herself. The ministry hadn't punished him, for reasons unknown. Maybe it was simply because he was Harry Potter? It didn't quite add up, but Angelina brushed that off. The less time she spent pondering what could've happened to Harry, the better. In fact, it would probably be best if she put the whole incident out of her mind for the time being. Harry certainly seemed inclined to do so.

Something about it didn't feel right. She shut the window and sat at her desk, thinking. Finally, she composed two letters, one to Harry and one to George. After that, she firmly resolved to think of things that wouldn't be likely to give her a heart attack for the rest of the day. She had a feeling she wouldn't be getting on a rollercoaster any time soon.

* * *

Seamus Finnegan was bored.

He tried to stop it, honest, he did. But was it really his fault that his mam had wanted to spend the summer out in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do? And was it really his fault that his dad had complained that Seamus was too dependent on magic, and that he had to spend his whole summer going entirely muggle? No, of course it wasn't.

Seamus was tired of doing nothing all day. And perhaps the worst part was that he couldn't ask anyone for suggestions on what to do. His mam told him to clean, which was ridiculous, because everything would just get messy all over again anyway. His dad suggested that he take a nap, but there was only so much sleeping you could do before you were awake at night and asleep during the day. The barkeeper downstairs had asked Seamus to help out with the customers, despite the fact that the town had a population of about fifty, and the pub was the only business for fifty miles.

Everyone in the town was over the age of sixty, and consequently didn't know the meaning of the word fun. Seamus had been lucky enough to stumble across a wizard out by the bog, but he was crabby and sour on his best days. Seamus had to leave his Agrippa chocolate frog card at home, as well as the model of Irish Keeper Darren O'Hare. These were both things that some bloke off the street could just walk right in and steal if he wanted, and yet Seamus's father didn't appear to care.

Why didn't people understand that just sitting on the cheap cot in the inn and staring at the sheep wasn't amusing? Really, they all looked the same! Half the time he wished one of those wolves he always heard about would come and snatch one. At least then something would be happening.

Technically, Seamus was only supposed to be contacting his friends through Muggle mail. But Seamus figured that took far too long, so he snuck over to the crabby old wizard by the bog and used his owl. Marius, the wizard, generally didn't mind, though he did take the chance to insult Seamus. Seamus's friends would respond through Marius's owl, and Seamus would sneak their letters back to the inn to read in private.

Something about the letter Seamus received from Harry about two weeks before the end of summer holiday made him think twice about leaving Marius's without reading the letter immediately. He tore open the letter and read, sitting underneath a tree. His eyes grew wide as he continued.

_Harry_ had blown up his aunt? Harry, who had generally seemed so patient, who hadn't gotten irritated when Neville spilled ink all over him, or when Lavender suggested that he get his glasses framed in black instead of silver? It didn't seem to match up with what Seamus knew of Harry Potter. And what the bloody hell was the minister thinking? Was there something in the water back in England that made everyone act so strange?

He raced back to Marius's cottage, pounding on the door.

"Whataya want?" Marius snarled.

"Can I use some parchment and ink to write a letter to my friend?"

Marius didn't exactly give his permission, because he never did, but he did move aside.

"Yeh look like a fool with all that moss on the seat of yer trousers!" Marius barked.

Seamus rolled his eyes and penned a hasty reply to Harry. He rolled up the parchment and handed it off to Marius's owl.

"Ain't you supposed ter to ask me if yeh can use me owl?" Marius asked pointedly.

Seamus let out a sigh. "Can I use your owl?"

"Young people these days. Always in such a hurry," Marius mumbled, turning away.

"Bye Marius!" Seamus called over his shoulder, beginning to run back to the inn.

"Better wipe off yer tush before yer mam sees yer trousers like that!" Marius sneered.

Seamus kept his head down, but followed the old man's advice. _Well_, he thought laughingly, _at least I'm_ _not bored anymore._

* * *

Dean Thomas was humiliated.

It was hard to gain respect at the art camp he went to. The people there had never cared for his work, because it was usually of things they didn't care to depict. One of the first lessons taught there was that you should paint things you were familiar with, things that you can refer to often as a reference point. Dean's artwork, therefore, included rough sketches of Hogwarts, the giant squid, and lately, his professors.

The other kids sketched things like their school, their pets, and their teachers. In theory, Dean was doing the same thing. The only difference was, no one could know. The instructors laughed at McGonagall's pointy hat and the many turrets and complicated staircases of the castle. One had even gone so far as to say that Dean had "completely misunderstood the assignment". Supposedly, Dean's drawings were childish and imaginary, thus making him completely ridiculous as an artist.

Even before Hogwarts, Dean had drawn things like dragons and fairies, to the point where all the boys started calling him Prince Charming and laughing at him. Dean couldn't help it; the images were always in the back of his mind, begging to be painted. One of the older instructors was always going on and on about obeying the muse, and Dean had.

The jokes about how weird he was had bothered him, but he had never gotten truly angry about them. He had thought of his art as unique, as something that would end up changing the stuffy old portraits shown at London galleries. He had taken all of his criticism and put it towards his work. He glanced down at the portrait of Professor Burbage. She had sat for it one afternoon, and Dean had worked quickly, getting the shape of her jaw and nose down before her next class. Later, he had done a real sketch of her, progressing to a full scale painting, just as he had done with Harry, Seamus, and many others.

This summer, Dean had been told to work on his animals. He sat in Mr. Lambert's class as a trained dog lounged in the front. He glanced back and forth between his drawing and the dog. Something wasn't quite right. Dean couldn't figure out just what it was…

"Make the snout longer, Thomas," Mr. Lambert ordered.

A group of nearby kids began to snicker.

"But sir," One began innocently, "dragon snouts need to be squished like that. Didn't you know?"

Dean grew hot and began erasing the snout without speaking.

"I'm sure Thomas is the only one who knows that, which is why his art will never sell in the real world," Mr. Lambert said cruelly.

That was what hurt. For the rest of class, Dean didn't look up at the dog again. He lengthened the snout and shaded in the fur before packing up and going to his dorm room. The other children had said that Dean wouldn't be able to make it as an artist, but he had been able to brush it off. What did they know of the real art world? They had no idea what people would think of his art. But hearing it from Mr. Lambert had reinforced what Dean had felt this whole time.

Reaching the Wizarding world had been like a saving grace for Dean. Finally, a place where he could take pride in his art and the less than normal subjects. But the Wizarding world wasn't all that appreciative of art, which meant Dean didn't have any sort of future there. Art was it for him. It was all he wanted to do, and Mr. Lambert had just crushed his dreams with one small sentence.

He was holed up in his dorm room as the other kids joked and laughed when an owl tapped impatiently at the window. Glancing around, Dean got to his feet and retrieved the letter. He recognized the chicken scratch instantly; this was a letter from Harry.

He read the letter slowly, feeling his concern grow and grow. The last line reassured him, and he heaved a sigh as he realized that Harry was okay. Then he began to reread the letter, taking note of the incredibly detailed description of Aunt Marge and her altered state. He smiled; Harry knew him well.

Taking out a clean sheet of paper and a pencil, he began to draw an impossibly large woman, floating in a gaudy dining room with her head hitting the ceiling. Just as he finished up, his three dorm mates burst in.

"What's that you're drawing?" One of them sneered.

"What does it look like?" Dean retorted.

The boys fell silent.

Dean tacked the sketch up on the wall right above his head. Maybe his art didn't have to be so real after all.

* * *

Parvati Patil was on cloud nine.

Parvati believed that magic carpet rides were the most romantic thing in the world. What could be better than soaring through the sky, reaching out and touching clouds, getting so close to the stars, and all while staying in relative comfort? It was nothing like a broom, which was uncomfortable and required some concentration to maneuver. As much as Parvati loved flying, there was no denying that magic carpets were simply superior. _Well_, she thought wryly, _Oliver would probably argue with that_.

Her parents were more than a little annoyed that she wasted time and galleons on such frivolities as magic carpet rides. Why couldn't she be more like Padma, they complained. Why couldn't she content herself with family visits and historical sightseeing? This didn't anger Parvati. She knew her twin was receiving the opposite criticism.

When her parents found out they were having twins, they rejoiced. Not one, but two chances to have the perfect child! Parvati often wondered if they might have been happier with just one. If Parvati and Padma could be combined into one person, that person would most likely be perfect. Padma's weaknesses were Parvati's strengths, and vice versa.

Padma was smart and resourceful. She didn't rely on people to do things for her. She went out and did them herself. Padma didn't get lost in daydreams and think of childish fairy tales as real life. Padma did her duty to the family. But Padma had terrible people skills, unlike Parvati. Parvati could walk into a room full of dusty old men and make friends.

Parvati was more valuable to their parents in terms of making connections. There wasn't any piece of gossip in Hogwarts that Parvati didn't know, and sometimes bribery and blackmail were useful to the Patils' business. To her credit, Parvati had never given up any information on her friends.

Often times the Patils' business contacts were surprised to find that there were two Patil girls. This was something that Parvati could easily explain. Anika and Ishan Patil typically didn't refer to the girls by name, and said something vaguer, like "my daughter". This led to some thinking that Patils had one, superhuman daughter, who could do just about anything.

Parvati and Padma didn't get angry with each other about this. At least, Parvati didn't think they did. Padma was good at bottling things up. Parvati tried to do the same, but it seemed her heart was permanently stuck on her sleeve. The two girls were as different as night and day. Parvati had been relieved when they'd gotten in separate houses.

She supposed Ravenclaw would've been an honor, seeing as how it was the house of the intelligent. But intelligence had never been on Parvati's list of priorities. Gryffindor was the house of the brave. Ravenclaws sat around and talked about what should be done. Gryffindors actually tried to do something about it. Parvati wanted someone like that.

It was another "silly fantasy" that her parents always admonished her for. Parvati always wanted a prince. Not necessarily to come save her, just a prince to keep her company, to understand her. Padma insisted that dreaming of such things was pointless, and that women had a more prominent role in society these days, and that Parvati shouldn't take such things for granted, and whatever else she blabbered on about as Parvati dreamed.

Parvati wasn't taking it for granted. She knew that it was important to be an independent woman. But what was stopping her from dreaming of true love? Nothing, of course. She wanted someone brave and strong. Whether or not he was smart didn't matter to her. As long as he could string together a few sentences (mostly things like "I love you" and "Will you marry me?"), she would take him.

"Parvati!" Padma screeched. "There's a letter for you!"

Parvati jumped and raced downstairs. "Give it here!"

"Okay, okay," Padma huffed.

The letter was not a declaration of love from a foreign prince that Parvati had never heard of, nor was it the latest edition of Witch Weekly. That didn't mean a letter from Harry wasn't welcome. In fact, it was more than appreciated. What was not appreciated was the unpleasant feeling in Parvati's chest as she read the letter. It felt almost like an icy hand was clenched around her heart, tighter and tighter until she finished the letter and took a deep breath.

To calm down, she began the checklist her parents had devised in moments of emergency.

**Is Harry okay?** _Yes._

**Does he need help?** _No._

**Does he want help? ** _I don't think so._

**Can you handle this by yourself?** _No._

**Is there someone (not us) who you can talk to about it?** _Yes._

**If No, send a brief, concise letter to Anika and Ishan Patil. If Yes, send a brief, concise letter to that person. Do not make any rash judgments or take drastic action until you have consulted the proper authorities and considered all possible solutions.**

Parvati took another deep breath and began writing a letter to Harry. What she wouldn't give for a prince to swoop in and save the day…

* * *

Oliver Wood felt disoriented.

Quidditch camp was not at all what he had imagined it would be. Oliver had always figured it would be a breeze. He couldn't have been more wrong. He supposed he should've figured that the others would give him a hard time because he was a rookie. He supposed he should've guessed that the current Keeper, Joseph Summers, would have some hard feelings. He supposed he should've known that Puddlemere United Quidditch camp wouldn't be all fun and games.

He should've thought of all these things beforehand, but he didn't.

Why would he? Oliver had always been told that getting signed was next to impossible, and he had assumed that actually being guaranteed a spot on the team was the hard part. Why didn't the other players like him? It might've sounded stupid and arrogant, but Oliver truly couldn't see a reason for them to hate him so. The cold shoulder from Summers, one of his heroes, had stung, but Oliver had shrugged it off. Summers would come around, wouldn't he?

Summers' attitude affected practically everyone. The Beaters "accidentally" launched their Bludgers his way. The Chasers refused to ever let him rest, and performed some of the most complicated flight patterns, some of which Oliver had never even seen. The Seeker, rather than do his bloody job and find the snitch, insisted on hanging around the hoops and shouting insults to Oliver when Coach wasn't looking.

And that was another strange thing. The players didn't seem to want to be called by their names. Coach was just Coach. Somehow, the beaters and the chasers always knew who was who, despite the fact that they were all called Chaser or Beater. Oliver had attempted to introduce himself, but he never received a reply.

Every night before bed, Oliver would take out the picture of his father that he kept in his jacket. He used it for motivation. Tristan Wood would have killed to be on the Puddlemere team, no matter how awful they were. As long as Tristan had been alive, Oliver had heard about what an honor it would be to get chosen for Puddlemere. It seemed like every week, his father would sit him down and give a small spiel on how important it was to never give up. Tristan had given up, and he'd never stopped regretting it.

To be honest, Oliver hadn't paid too much attention to his father's advice. At least, not until after the accident. That was when Oliver had realized that his dad had been on to something. To play for Puddlemere would mean getting to play the sport he loved, every day for the rest of his life. It meant he could be on a broom and get paid for it, make a living out of it. It meant that a boring desk job wasn't what was in his future.

It meant that he could live.

Staring at the picture, he swallowed hard. _Only two more weeks_, he told himself. _Just two more weeks, and then you're back at Hogwarts, playing with your friends again._

He was startled by a tapping on the window. He carefully unfurled the letter as the owl helped itself to some water. He frowned as he read. Harry had blown up his aunt. Well, that was something unexpected. Truth be told, Oliver didn't know what he was supposed to think. If Harry had been in trouble, he would have rushed down there immediately, Quidditch camp be damned. But if Harry was okay, then what?

"_P.S. Hope you're enjoying Quidditch camp."_

Oliver grimaced. Yeah, he was enjoying it all right.

"Hey kid," Seeker snapped. "Shut the window, will ya? I'm freezing in here."

"Er, yeah, okay," Oliver agreed, shutting the window. "Listen, I'm just gonna go fly for a bit, okay?"

"Yeah, whatever," Seeker grumbled.

Maybe a quick ride around the camp would improve his mood. Maybe it would even make him think better of his situation.

* * *

The Weasley family was in disarray.

This was nothing new. For almost the entire visit to Egypt, the group couldn't seem to contain themselves. Fred and George kept nicking Percy's Head Boy badge, just to laugh at him as he went into a frenzy, thinking he'd lost it. Mrs. Weasley continued to fuss over the length of Bill's hair, to the point where he threw up his hands and went for a walk to blow off steam. Ron wouldn't stop bringing up Ginny's friends, finding it amusing to see her squirm. There was only so much of this that one could take. The current hotel they were staying at all wondered who would be the first to crack. The answer might surprise you, and it certainly surprised the Weasleys.

"Alright, that's enough!" Mr. Weasley shouted at the breakfast table, standing abruptly. "I am tired of all this yelling and fighting that's going on. I don't care who's starting it, I want it to end. NOW!"

Ron's jaw dropped, causing Ginny to wince at the sight of chewed up sausage.

George reluctantly gave Percy's Head Boy badge back.

Bill piled his hair up into a hat.

"Thank you," Mr. Weasley said in a strained voice. "Now, we're only here for a little longer, so let's all try and get along just fine without any raised voices. Got it?"

An owl began tapping on the window behind him.

A five way race for the letter began, as the youngest members of the Weasley family rushed at the owl. Percy shoved Ron out of the way, only to be tripped by Ginny, who was blocked by the twins, who didn't see Ron dodge them, only to be pushed to the floor by Percy, who reached the letter triumphantly.

"It's from Harry," He declared.

Ginny let out a squeak and stretched out her hand demandingly.

"Why would he be writing to you?" Ron snorted, looking at Percy expectantly.

"It just says Weasley Family," Fred read over Percy's shoulder.

"That means me!" Ginny squealed happily.

"No, it means all of us," Bill corrected, holding in a laugh. "Can I assume that Harry is Harry Potter, from the way you're all crowing around that letter like it's a million galleons?"

"You would be correct," Percy said, sliding his glasses back up his nose. "Let's read it then, shall we?"

"I do hope Harry's alright," Mrs. Weasley said worriedly.

"I'm sure he's fine, Molly dear," Mr. Weasley said lovingly.

Fred and George made twin looks of disgust.

"We won't know unless we read it," Ron pointed out impatiently.

Percy unfolded the letter and began to read, pausing at the appropriate moments, anticipating the commentary from his family.

"I knew something was wrong," Mrs. Weasley murmured, wringing her hands.

"But he's fine now, right?" Ginny asked anxiously.

"Bloody hell," Ron whispered in amazement. "How d'you think he did it?"

"…but the good news is that I'm fine. No punishment at all. I hope I can see you all in Diagon Alley before the end of the summer. Harry," Percy read aloud, before folding the letter back up perfectly. "That's so strange. It's not like the ministry to just let someone get away with something like that. What about you Dad?"

Mr. Weasley had suddenly gone pale. "Oh, um, no I don't think I have, Percy." He traded a knowing glance with Mrs. Weasley. "I just don't know why they would…yes, well, let's get on with the sight-seeing, hmm?"

"Dad, what's going on?" Ginny asked innocently.

"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing. Nothing at all. Now, everyone get dressed," He instructed, leaving the room quickly, followed by Mrs. Weasley and Bill.

"What was he on about?" George asked suspiciously.

"I dunno," Percy admitted, narrowing his eyes.

One thing was for sure: something weird must be going on for the ministry to let Harry off the hook that easily.


	34. Chapter 34

**AN: I am so, SO, sorry! I did warn you that May would be a busy month, but I honestly didn't think it would be _that_ busy. I would like to thank you all for being so patient. You all seemed to get really into the last chapter! And I'd like to give a huge thank you to all of my followers, because we managed to break 1,000! Also, I should have another outtake up sometime either today or tomorrow. Major thanks to reviewers: lilmisadiva, CosmykAngel, peruvianprincess, BlazeStryker, TLJ110166, Majerus, Jmw, Firenze Fox, geetac, B00kw0rm92, therogueslytherin, Spring Raine, Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER, Penny is wise, serialkeller, Guest, Books are air, magitech, MariusDarkwolf, elmoryakhan, To the TARDIS, 09113664593c, and Kairan1979. I promise I shall do my best to respond more to reviews this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

Harry awoke to a loud pounding noise, and for a moment, he thought he was back in the cupboard under the stairs at Privet Drive. But then he realized that this bed was much comfier than his old cot, and he surmised that he was still at the Leaky Cauldron. Who was it rapping on the door, anyway?

BANG…BANG…BANG…

"Alright, I'm coming!" He called, almost falling out of bed in his haste to answer the door. He jammed his glasses on his face and stumbled down the hall.

"Harry!" Lavender shrieked, throwing her arms around him.

"What are you doing out here?" He blurted out, surprised. "The sun's not even up yet."

"I set my alarm half an hour early so I could come see you before my last day at the agency," Lavender explained, adjusting the strap on her messenger bag. "I'm gonna come by afterwards, too, just so all of us can be together again. Oh, it's gonna be the best day ever!" She squealed, hugging herself.

Harry had forgotten just how excitable Lavender could be. He grinned and moved aside to let her come in.

"Oh, no, I really can't! I'll see you later though. Sorry I have to cut the visit so short. I honestly thought I had more time. But, you can't rush beauty," She finished with a long, suffering sigh as she patted her elaborately coiffed hair.

"Er, yeah," Harry stammered when she turned towards him expectantly.

"And Harry? Dean said he'd probably come here for breakfast, so keep an eye out!" With one last bone crushing hug, Lavender danced away beaming.

Harry shook his head bemusedly, wondering if he'd ever get used to her.

* * *

Two hours later, Dean Thomas walked into the Leaky Cauldron with his mother and step-father. Hary sprang up from his barstool and dashed over to greet them.

"Harry!" Dean called cheerfully, fishing for something in his back pocket. "Check this out!"

Harry unfolded a piece of sketch paper to discover a near exact drawing of the Dursleys desperately tugging at Aunt Marge's leg as her head hit the ceiling. "It's perfect!"

Dean smiled, obviously pleased.

Dean's step-father cleared his throat.

"Oh, um, Harry, this is Mum and Aaron. Mum, Aaron, this is Harry Potter," Dean introduced them.

Harry gulped in fear, but maintained his composure. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas."

Dean started shaking his head frantically as his mother stiffened.

Dean's step-father spoke up quickly. "That's actually Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. Thomas is Dean's father's name," He explained, smiling tightly.

Harry felt his face heat up. "Oh…oh, I didn't know-"

"It's fine, dear," Mrs. Taylor waved her hand. Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Well, Dean, we really should be going, I don't want to leave your brothers and sisters at home for too long." The Taylors hurriedly excused themselves and left.

"I'm really sorry," Harry apologized.

"It's okay. I probably should've warned you about that. Mum doesn't like talking about my Dad a whole lot." Dean didn't appear too bothered by it.

"I didn't know you had siblings," Harry said, trying to change the subject.

"Technically, they're my half-siblings. They can be really annoying sometimes." Dean shuffled his feet for a moment, looking around the Leaky. "Hey, what do they have for breakfast here?"

"Um, pretty much everything, I guess. I would stay away from most of the meat though. I heard Tom saying it's too expensive to buy the real stuff," Harry muttered.

The pair was about to head towards a booth when they heard a shout from behind them. Harry turned, blinded by a bright, familiar flash. "Hello, Colin."

"Hi Harry, hi Dean! How was your summer? Mine was great, I got a new camera and everything. My dad said I had to be really careful with it, so I'm not gonna ever take it outside, ever!" Colin seemed ready to bounce off the walls in his excitement.

"That does sound great," Dean agreed, blinking frantically.

"Colin, don't you think you have enough pictures of us by now?" Harry pointed out gently.

Colin shook his head vigorously. "You guys aren't the same anymore. You look a little bit older, so I had to get a picture to document the change."

"Document it?" Harry repeated, frowning.

"Er, yeah. Hey, did you guys see that the Weasleys are back? Ron's waiting out by Florean Fortescue's to surprise you!" He told them eagerly.

"It's not really a surprise if you give it away," Dean sighed.

"Oh." Colin drooped. "I forgot about that."

"It's okay," Harry reassured him. "C'mon Dean, let's go get some ice cream for breakfast!"

"Awesome!" Dean cheered.

* * *

True to Colin's word, Ron was waiting impatiently outside the ice cream parlor with Percy, the twins, and Hermione. Percy and Hermione were in a heated debate over a Divination textbook, while the twins appeared to be putting something in Ron's ice cream when he wasn't looking.

"Harry!" Ron stood and waved his arms around wildly. "Dean! Over here!"

Harry held in his laughter and walked briskly towards them. "Hermione, what are you doing here so early?"

"I came to visit you, of course! The others should all be coming by later in the day." Hermione looked anxious about something, bouncing her leg up and down underneath the table.

"What is it?" Harry asked, concerned.

"Nothing, nothing!" She exclaimed shrilly. "It's just that…oh, Harry, you didn't really blow up your aunt, did you?"

Harry felt his face go red. "It was an accident!"

"I'm sure it was," She said quickly. "I don't think I've ever heard of accidental magic happening so late though."

"What I'm more worried about is why the ministry just let it go," Percy spoke up. "True, it was accidental magic, but they usually send some sort of warning. Did you get any post right afterwards?"

"Well, I didn't exactly stick around," Harry confessed. "I just hopped on the Knight Bus and came here."

"Wicked!" The twins chorused.

"Blimey Harry, how did you do it?" Ron asked incredulously.

Harry shrugged, feeling embarrassed.

"But they didn't do anything?" Percy said again. "Not a single thing? Not even a warning?"

"Merlin, Percy, d'you want Harry to get in trouble?" Fred elbowed him.

"It's not that, I'm just trying to understand it. It doesn't make any sense." Percy frowned in thought.

"Maybe they have bigger things to worry about," Dean mentioned, nodding towards a wanted poster nearby. The photo of a laughing Sirius Black gave Harry an ominous feeling in his stomach. There was something about his eyes that didn't sit well with him….

The table fell silent at the idea.

"D'you think they'll catch him?" Ron asked.

"Of course they will," Percy sniffed. "I have complete faith in the Ministry." Harry couldn't help but think that Percy didn't look nearly as confident as he sounded.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Well, I don't know about you, but I need to go shopping for my school supplies. So, if you'll excuse me…"

"I need to go, too," Ron muttered, standing up.

"So do I," Dean agreed.

Harry went with them, trying to shake off the foreboding thought that Sirius Black could be watching him at this very moment.

* * *

Ron had already gotten his new wand, and he bragged about it Dean, Harry, and everyone else in Diagon Alley every chance he got.

"Fourteen inches," He said loudly to the bookseller at Flourish and Blotts.

"Made of willow, y'know," He told a man outside the apothecary.

"Contains a unicorn tail-hair," He told the witch at the Magical Menagerie.

The group had gone to the Magical Menagerie because Hermione wanted to get an owl, and Ron thought Scabbers looked a little sick. Harry stood at the counter with Ron as the witch examined the rat, as Hermione dragged Dean along to look for a pet.

"How old is he?" The witch asked, not paying attention.

Ron shoved his wand back in his pocket, looking disgruntled. "I dunno, really old. He used to be my older brother's."

"And what powers does he have?" She inquired politely, picking up Scabbers and squeezing him lightly, causing him to sneeze. "He's really been through the mill, hasn't he?"

Ron's ears turned pink. "He was like that when Percy gave it to me."

"I'm surprised he's lived this long," She admitted. "An ordinary garden rat like that can't be expected to live more than three years." Her expression was one of pitying, before brightening. "However, if you want one of these…"

Ron turned to look at a bunch of glossy black rats, all of which began doing extreme tricks. "Show-offs," He murmured.

Her expression soured again. "If you don't want a new one, you can always use this tonic. No guarantees though," She sneered, smacking her gum.

"I guess," He replied glumly. "How much—OUCH!"

A large, fluffy, orange ball of fur flew at Scabbers, clawing Ron in the process as Hermione and Dean hurried towards them.

"NO, CROOKSHANKS!" The witch bellowed. "I'm so sorry about him," She apologized to Ron, scooping up the beast. "He's absolutely terrible-"

"Well, I think he's adorable!" Hermione interrupted hotly.

All three boys and the shopkeeper turned to stare at her as Crookshanks began to purr loudly.

"In fact," Hermione continued, taking the cat out of the witch's arms. "I think I'll take him."

Ron let out a half snort, half whimper noise. "You're going to buy that monster?"

"He's not a monster," Hermione admonished Ron. "He's gorgeous! How much do you want for him?"

The witch looked flustered. "He's been here for so long, I guess…maybe five galleons? I'll throw in some extras, too, if you take him today."

Hermione's eyes lit up. "Oh, of course. Dean, Harry, do you think you guys could carry my bags to the Leaky? My arms are a little full." She began to pet Crookshanks, cooing at him as Ron clutched Scabbers and the rat tonic close to his chest.

Dean struggled to pick up three of the bags. "Geez, Hermione, what have you got in here?"

"Oh, just the books for my classes," She said, bouncing Crookshanks slightly.

"How many classes are you taking?" Harry wondered, heaving up the other three bags.

"Well, there's the usual ones, and then Care of Magical Creatures and Divination with you guys, and Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies-"

"Muggle Studies?" Ron echoed. "You're muggleborn, what do you wanna take that class for?"

"It'd be so fascinating to see Muggles from a wizard's point of view!" She gushed. "And of course, Professor Burbage is teaching it…"

"That would make it better, I guess," Ron admitted grudgingly.

"Um, hey guys," Dean spoke up, glancing towards a clock. "We should probably be getting back to the Leaky by now, right?"

Hermione's eyes went wide. "Oh, you're right. We're almost late!"

"Late for what?" Harry asked.

"Erm, nothing," Ron told him. "But we should probably get going before we miss lunch!"

* * *

Back at the Leaky, Harry found all of his friends, bar Lavender, were waiting to surprise him. After numerous hugs, jokes, and meals, the kids were able to settle down into different tables. Oliver had just begun wondering why he had chosen to sit with Percy and Penny, who were busy sucking each other's faces off, when Katie sat across from him. Cormac and Leann, who had been sticking close to her side for most of the afternoon, quickly followed.

"Hey Oliver!" Katie greeted enthusiastically. "How was training camp?"

"It was…different from what I thought it would be," Oliver admitted, struggling to find a way to hide the terrible experience he'd had. He didn't want to lie to his friends, but he didn't want them to discover that Puddlemere United wasn't all he'd built it up to be either.

"Did you make any friends?" She inquired politely.

He squirmed in his seat. "We were all pretty focused on the game, so I didn't get a whole lot of chances to really talk to them." Now that was an outright lie.

"Did you learn any new plays?" Cormac asked eagerly.

Oliver straightened. "Oh yeah, loads." And with that, the two launched into a discussion of the best tactics to use as a Keeper, with Katie contributing occasionally.

Penny and Percy finally separated upon hearing voices. Penny patted her hair and smoothed out her shirt before glancing around the Leaky.

"Oh, hi, Leann, right?" She smiled at the girl on the other side of Katie.

"Yeah. And you're Penelope, right?" She asked shyly.

"That's right. You can call me Penny if you want. You'll be seeing a lot more of me this year," She said, gesturing to her Head Girl badge.

"Congratulations," Leann said, picking at a thread on her shirt.

"Thank you. Oliver, are you still talking about training camp?" She said exasperatedly.

"No, no, just the plays," He corrected her.

"Oh, my mistake." She rolled her eyes.

"It's a common one to make," He lied.

"Oh really?"

"Okay, actually it's not, but you get the point." He grinned at her.

She sighed. "Then how was training camp? If it was different from what you expected, then what happened?"

"You actually heard me while you were snogging Percy?" He asked incredulously.

Percy turned red and began to shine his Head Boy badge.

"I can multi-task." Penny folded her arms over her chest. "But don't try to change the subject. How was it?"

He shrugged. "I told you, it was different."

"Different how?" Percy intervened.

"I just…I mean, I dunno. I always thought the camp was gonna be perfect, because everything about Puddlemere is perfect, but it just wasn't, that's all." He tugged at his collar.

Percy leaned back in his chair, studying his best friend. "If you were wrong about the training camp, what if you're wrong about the rest of Puddlemere?"

The table fell silent. Leann glanced up from her lap, feeling sympathy for the older boy.

"Nothing can be perfect, but I'm sure it'll come close," She told him.

He nodded, looking unconvinced. "You're probably right. Anyway, back to the plays…"

* * *

"So, I heard you and the twins had an eventful experience at your house this summer," Angelina said teasingly.

"Don't remind me," Lee groaned. "Whenever Mum makes me babysit Chloe, I end up getting wrangled into a pretty princess tea party."

"You have to sit through that every time?" George asked, horrified.

Lee nodded grimly. "You have no idea how annoying she can be when she doesn't get her way, so it's easier just to agree."

"And the bedtime story?" Fred asked, afraid of the answer.

"Yup. It's always the same one."

All three boys shuddered.

"It couldn't have been that bad," Alicia said logically.

Lee turned to her. "Would you like to come over some time and pretend you can understand what Mr. Snuggles is saying? For three hours?"

"How did you guys receive the honor of looking after her anyway?" Angelina wanted to know.

Lee winced. "I asked Mum if Fred and George could come over at the very beginning of summer, before they left for Egypt. Only problem is, she doesn't like having people over. So, she said they could come over as long as we did her a favor. And I may have agreed without stopping to find out what this favor was," He ended sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

The girls began to laugh, but the twins shot him poisonous looks.

"We are never going over-"

"-to your house again!" They declared firmly.

"It wasn't so bad," Lee argued. "After she fell asleep, we got to do whatever we wanted!"

"That reminds me, how did that moo-vie end?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, do they get together, or does he end up marrying for money?" George added.

Angelina choked on her pumpkin juice. "You guys watched a _chick flick_?"

Lee slouched in his chair. "Maybe."

* * *

"So the Ministry really didn't do anything about it?" Parvati asked, bewildered. "That's just not like that them."

"I thought it might be because of Black," Dean mentioned, eyes downcast.

"It could be," Seamus mused.

"What if-" Neville spoke up, clearing his throat. "What if it's because he's Harry Potter? What if they're showing favoritism towards him because he's The-Boy-Who-Lived?"

Harry's hands instantly went up to flatten his fringe over his scar.

"You don't think the Ministry would actually do something like that, do you?" Hermione whispered, cupping her hands around her mug. "Isn't that illegal?"

Seamus shrugged. "They're the Ministry. They can do whatever they want, without anyone stopping them. They are the law."

"I could be wrong," Neville said hurriedly, a bit worried at how serious his opinion was being taken. "I've been wrong before. It's just a possibility."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "I heard someone say that Black was Voldemort's-"

The others all flinched.

Harry paused, irritated. "_Voldemort's_ right hand man. Maybe it has something to do with that."

Hermione nodded. "You mean because you defeated You-Know-Who, Black might be looking for you. Good thinking."

"Dad acted really weird when we got your letter," Ron realized suddenly, speaking for the first time. "When he found out the Ministry didn't do anything to you, and Percy started questioning it, he acted all afraid and stuff. I dunno, it might not mean anything." The tips of Ron's ears began to turn pink again as he studied the ground.

"No, it makes sense." Hermione waved her hands around excitedly.

"It does?" Ron said, astonished.

"Yes, of course. People at the Ministry must know what Sirius Black is after. And if he's after you, Harry, then Mr. Weasley probably knows about it."

"But wouldn't he tell Harry about it?" Parvati murmured quietly.

"Not if someone didn't want him to," Dean whispered, nodding towards the corner of the pub, where Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were having a hushed argument.

Watching them gave Harry an odd feeling. He turned around instinctively, greeted by the cackling insanity that was Sirius Black. Was this man truly after Harry? All because of the destruction of Voldemort? Harry hadn't had anything to do with that. He sensed it had to be something else. It made a cold feeling crawl up his spine as he met the picture's eyes.

* * *

That evening, when most of Harry's friends had left, and he was alone in his room again, he heard raised voices coming from below. He crept downstairs, all the while being conscious that it wasn't right to eavesdrop. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that he should hear what was going on.

"…makes no sense not to tell him…" He heard Mr. Weasley saying.

Harry felt his eyes grow wide. They must be discussing Sirius Black!

"Harry's got a right to know. I've tried to tell Fudge, but he insists on treating Harry like a child. He's thirteen years old and-"

"Arthur, the truth would terrify him!" said Mrs. Weasley shrilly. "Do you really want to send Harry back to school with that hanging over him? For heaven's sake, he's happy not knowing!"

Except Harry already did know. And the truth did terrify him, but there would be no taking it back. He didn't hear the rest of their argument. He spent it wondering what was going to happen to him. Would Sirius Black truly be caught? Or would Harry have to spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder, wary until the day he died? Worse, would Harry be killed by Sirius Black?

Harry could hear them coming up the steps, and he hurriedly raced back to his room, flopping face down on his bed. He hardly dared to breathe until he knew Mr. and Mrs. Weasley pass by his room. He wondered if they had decided to tell him. _What difference did it make_, he thought unhappily. Sirius Black would find him eventually, whether he knew it or not.

Harry caught himself swiftly. What was he thinking? Harry shouldn't be afraid of this man. True, Black had killed thirteen people with one curse. But they most likely hadn't known what was going on. Maybe Black had just caught them off guard. Well, he, Harry would not be caught off guard. He had already faced Voldemort three times and emerged victorious.

And maybe one of those wins wasn't his own, but at least Harry could say he was tough to kill. He couldn't let Black get to him. Harry had to stay on top of it. He had to be able to face Black with a clear head. He had to make sure that no matter what happened, Harry would not be killed by Sirius Black.

"I'm _not_ going to be murdered," Harry said determinedly.

"That's the spirit, dear," said his mirror sleepily.

* * *

**Reply to reviewer Jmw:**

**It's not really so much that the Patils mistreat their daughters, but rather that they're very tough and demanding. Some people think that the only way to produce the best results is to demand them, and the Patils fall into that category. And someone's very into Parvati/Harry, aren't they? **

**I've always envisioned Puddlemere as the type of team that wouldn't care what you act like, as long as you're a good player. That's not to say the team won't get in trouble, just that they definitely won't be fired.**

**Third year just might be longer than second year, so you'll get your wish. I love hearing all of your ideas. Thanks for reviewing!**


	35. Chapter 35

**AN: Remember how I said I would reply to every review I got last chapter? Yeah, that didn't work out so well. There were just so many! However, I would like to say that I truly appreciate every single review I received. It makes me feel great to hear from you guys, so keep it up! Thanks goes out to B00kw0rm92, Guest, becuzitswrong, Majerus, Books are air, To the TARDIS, magitech, Jmw, Lady Sabine of Macayhill, notcroaker, MariusDarkwolf, Valentina Alexandrea Sparrow, Lady Eleanor Boleyn, Penny is wise, Wonderbee31, Tellur, monbade, serialkeller, and DEP61. The next update should come on either Saturday or Sunday, so keep an eye out.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

At Platform 9 ¾ the next day, Harry was greeted by many familiar faces. There was Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Granger. Professor Longbottom had cautiously allowed Neville to get on the train by himself while she stayed at the school, though she had warned him extensively about the consequences, should he fail to complete his mission. At least, that's how Seamus had spun the story when Neville wasn't around.

Lavender's mother, a skinny, blonde who wore far too much lipstick, reminded Harry of what Aunt Petunia could be like if she were actually nice. She didn't have much in the brains department, but she made an attempt to seem like she had it together. Lavender's father, on the other hand, had a comb-over and an impatient expression. He also reminded Harry of a smarter, kinder, thinner Uncle Vernon. A little conceited, and the tiniest bit obsessed with appearances, but an altogether good person.

Parvati's parents frightened Harry. When Mrs. Patil shook his hand, it felt like she was trying to see something in his eyes. He tried hard not to look too shifty or suspicious, but he had a feeling that hadn't worked out too well. Mr. Patil had grilled him extensively on everything from his grades ("I understand you may be unfamiliar with the grading systems used, but try your best.") to his hair ("Have you tried using an extra-strong hold hairspray? Parvati could probably lend you some…"). Harry didn't feel singled out though; most of the others received the same treatment.

"If he's like that towards your friends, how's he gonna react when he meets your boyfriend?" Lavender whispered.

"Please," Parvati scoffed. "My parents aren't gonna let me date till I'm thirty!"

Harry hadn't expected the sudden hug from Seamus' mother. In all honesty, the only one who had anticipated it was Dean, who had already met her a dozen times before. Seamus' father, she explained in a lilting Irish accent, got a little jumpy around too much magic. Seamus had nodded along dutifully, his expression showing that he was bored to tears.

Before Harry could meet the other parents though, Mr. Weasley whisked him away for a "small chat."

"Harry, before you leave, I need to tell you something-" He whispered tensely.

Harry paused. "It's about Sirius Black, isn't it?"

"Er, yes, it is. How did you guess?" He asked, bewildered.

"I—I'm sorry, Mr. Weasley, but I overheard you and Mrs. Weasley talking last night," He told him, staring over his shoulder to watch as Oliver was scolded by his mother for who knows what.

"Oh, well, I wouldn't have wanted you to find out that way." Mr. Weasley fiddled with his glasses.

"No, it's alright. I know what to do," Harry attempted to assure him.

This only served to make Mr. Weasley more nervous. "Harry, I need you to promise you won't go looking for Black," He said urgently.

"I'm not going to," Harry swore. "Honest, I'm not. I know that I need to stay away from him, it's okay. I'm not going to try to be a hero, or anything like that. I'll stay on my guard, and make sure I don't do anything stupid, and then I'll be fine."

"Good, good. But Harry," Mr. Weasley started to sweat. "You may hear some things that will make you want to change your mind. But, listen, Harry-"

"Arthur! Harry!" Mrs. Weasley called frantically. You're going to miss the train!"

"We're coming, Molly!" Mr. Weasley shouted hurriedly. "Harry, I need you to give me your word-"

"I won't, Mr. Weasley," Harry said, itching to board the train.

A loud whistle sounded, and Harry saw his friends struggling to wait for him, as guards began to walk up and down. Mrs. Weasley began to push them along, still watching Harry and Mr. Weasley.

"Harry, whatever happens, whatever you hear-"

"Mr. Weasley," Harry interrupted, frustrated. "Why would I go looking for some I know wants to kill me?"

Harry raced over to the train. His friends had boarded, and quickly helped him up. He leaned against the door, panting heavily.

"I need to talk to you all. Somewhere, where no one can hear us," He gasped out. "It's about Sirius Black."

Everyone straightened up immediately.

"We won't all be able to fit into a compartment," Hermione informed them gently.

The others began arguing over who Harry should tell first.

"Alright, alright!" Percy shouted over the noise. "Penny, Alicia and I have to head up to the Prefect compartment."

"You're a prefect?" Fred yelped, his head swiveling around. "You never told me that!"

"You never asked," She retorted loftily.

"Right, well," Percy cleared his throat. "Also, Fred, George, Lee, your 'arch nemesis' is in the last compartment on the left."

"Pucey," Lee growled. He and the twins marched off to face him.

"I should probably make sure they don't leave any evidence," Angelina sighed, following after them.

"And, Oliver, I think you'll be interested to know that Marcus Flint is in that compartment as well."

"What?" Oliver asked. "I thought he was supposed to graduate."

"Yeah, that didn't work out too well for him," Percy muttered.

Oliver grinned broadly. "Excuse me, ladies, gentleman, Percy."

"Don't get caught!" Percy called after him half-heartedly.

"What's the matter with you?" Ron seemed amazed. "Isn't he being weird?" Ron turned to Harry.

"It is a little strange," Harry admitted.

"Narrowed down your choices though, didn't I?" Percy nodded toward the remaining Gryffindors. "Although I'd appreciate it if you kept it down. I'll still take my Head duties seriously." With that, he straightened his tie and re-pinned his Head Boy badge before taking off down the train.

"Harry, you can tell us later," Katie told him kindly, gesturing to Cormac and Leann. "I needed to go talk to some of the other fourth years, anyway."

Harry did a quick count of the remaining people. "I dunno. There's nine of us…"

"Nine?" Ron muttered, looking around. "Ginny, what are you doing here? Don't you have some club you wanna talk to?"

The girl flushed red in anger. "Fine, Ron. I'll leave. But next time you wanna hang out with _my_ friends, I won't let you."

"I'm heartbroken," He mumbled.

"Oh no," Neville moaned. "I can't find Trevor!"

Seamus sighed. "C'mon mate, I'll help you find him."

The final six began to trudge down the train to find an empty compartment. Yet everywhere they looked, there seemed to be only a seat or two left.

"I think this is the best we'll get," Dean said, motioning towards a compartment with only a sleeping man inside.

"Is he okay?" Harry wondered.

"His wardrobe definitely isn't," Lavender said, wrinkling her nose.

"Maybe he can't afford better clothes," Parvati suggested.

"Who is he?" Ron asked.

"Professor R. J. Lupin," Hermione provided.

"How did you know that?" Ron asked in amazement.

"Well, it _is_ on his case," Dean pointed out.

"Do you think he's actually sleeping?" Harry asked, studying him closely.

"It looks like it," Lavender whispered.

Harry stood up anxiously and shut the compartment door. "I have to tell you guys something. Remember how we thought Sirius Black was after me?"

Lupin stirred slightly.

All six jumped and began to watch him carefully. Dean crept a little closer to see.

"'Kay, I think we're good," He whispered.

"Well, I heard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking last night, and it sounds like we were right," Harry continued softly.

Parvati pulled her legs into her chest. "You mean Black's after you because of You-Know-Who?"

Dean shook his head. "Why didn't they tell you about it?"

"That's what Mr. Weasley was talking about with me before we got on the train," Harry said grimly. "But the strange part is, he made it sound like I would go after Black."

"You won't, will you Harry?" Hermione glanced at him, eyes wide.

"No, of course not. It just makes me wonder why he thinks I would."

"Maybe it's because of everything we've done so far," Ron pointed out. "I mean, we went after Quirrel and the Basilisk, maybe he just thinks you're gonna do it again."

"Regardless, it still seems a little extreme to think you'd deliberately try to find a murderer," Parvati mentioned.

"They need to catch him. They _have_ to catch him," Lavender looked ready to have a panic attack.

"They have the Muggle police looking for him too, so it's not like he could just hide there." Dean folded his arms across his chest.

"Wait a minute. What's that noise?" Ron asked, rubbing his ears.

A high pitched whistle rang out in the compartment.

"I think it's coming from your trunk, Harry," Hermione said.

Ron dug around in Harry's trunk and pulled out the Pocket Sneakoscope. The group appeared almost transfixed by the glow the spinning Sneakoscope emitted.

"That's a Sneakoscope, isn't it?" Hermione stated interestedly. "I wonder what's so untrustworthy?"

"Might be broken," Dean suggested.

"Well, it was a pretty cheap one," Ron admitted, ears turning pink. "I guess we could get it checked in Hogsmeade," He added, shoving it back in the trunk.

"Do any of you know much about Hogsmeade?" Hermione asked keenly. "I've read it's the only entirely non-Muggle settlement in Britain-"

"Yeah, I think I've heard that," Ron told her, clearly not at all interested. "But I want to go there for Honeydukes!"

"What's Honeydukes?" Dean asked.

"It's a sweetshop, see." From there, Ron launched into a detailed description of each type of candy Honeydukes carried, as the others continued their conversation over him.

"I heard they have like, a ton of clothing stores there. I mean, I'll probably still have to modify some of it, since Wizarding clothing is so old-fashioned, but it doesn't help to have a little variety." Lavender leaned back, and smoothed out her skirt.

"In _Sites of Historical Sorcery_ it says the inn was the headquarters for the 1612 goblin rebellion, and the Shrieking Shack's supposed to be the most severely haunted building in Britain-" Hermione seemed to be on a roll, jumping from famed Wizarding buildings to impressive feats of magic to popular wizards and witches who lived in Hogsmeade.

"What are you looking forward to most, Harry?" Dean asked politely.

"I'd love to get to go at all," Harry said gloomily.

The others all screeched to a halt.

"You mean you're—you're not going?" Lavender asked, shocked.

"The Dursleys didn't sign my permission form, and Fudge wouldn't either."

"But—but—what about—you could probably get Burbage—or, or even McGonagall to sign it—" Ron sputtered.

Harry shook his head. "I don't think they'd actually go against the rules for that."

"We could always ask Fred and George, they know all the secret passages—"

"Ron!" Hermione snapped. "Honestly, do you hear yourself? What you're suggesting is going against the rules! At least have the decency to wait until a teacher isn't around."

"I'm really good at forging signatures," Dean spoke up. "I should be able to do it, as long as you provide a sample of your uncle's handwriting."

"I dunno…"

"It's not going to be nearly as much fun without you," Lavender said sadly.

"Maybe it's better this way," Parvati suggested.

"What?" Ron choked on one of his sandwiches.

"No, she's right," Hermione agreed. "With Black on the loose, Harry should probably stay on Hogwarts grounds."

"I'm sorry Harry," Dean told him dully.

The rest of Harry's friends voiced similar sentiments, and the compartment fell silent. Somewhere along the way, Harry was pretty certain he'd fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew, the compartment door slid open as Draco Malfoy, followed by Crabbe and Goyle, swaggered in.

"Well, well, well, look who it is, boys," Malfoy drawled. "A bunch of Mudbloods and some poor excuses for wizards," He sneered.

Crabbe and Goyle chuckled trollishly.

"I heard your father finally got his hands on some gold this summer, Weasley," said Malfoy. "Did your mother die of shock?"

Ron stood up quickly, as did Dean and Harry, prepared to hold him back. Professor Lupin gave a snort.

"Who's that?" Malfoy asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"It's our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Didn't you know?" Dean replied. "What were you saying before, Malfoy?"

Malfoy narrowed his eyes. "Let's go," He snarled to Crabbe and Goyle.

The boys sat down again as Ron vibrated in anger.

"Who does he think he is?" Ron demanded angrily. "He's such a—a—ugh. I wish Percy would catch him saying stuff like that, just once. I bet Malfoy wouldn't try anything like that after having detention every night for a month."

"Ron, you really shouldn't say stuff like that," Lavender whispered quietly, tilting her head towards Professor Lupin.

The train felt ridiculously cold as the rain poured down outside. The sky was impossibly gray, and the wind whistled loudly. A few times the kids slid around a bit as the train rattled with force.

"We have to be there soon," Dean mumbled impatiently.

As if on cue, the train slowly rolled to a stop.

"Finally," Ron groaned. "I'm starving. Those sandwiches weren't nearly enough."

"We can't possibly be there yet," Hermione said.

"Why are we stopping?" Parvati wondered.

The train stopped completely with a strong jolt, as luggage fell down from the racks. Harry peered out of the compartment to see if he could find out what was going on. There didn't seem to be anything unusual happening, but as he ducked back in, all the lanterns went out.

"What's going on?" Lavender asked fearfully.

"Could we have broken down?" Hermione suggested.

"Can the Express break down?" Dean asked.

Footsteps were heard in the hall, and the compartment door slid open again.

"Hullo? Er, could we please come in your compartment?" A voice called out.

"Seamus?" Dean whispered. "Is that you and Neville?"

"Yeah, is that you, Dean? Blimey, it was lucky we found your compartment."

"C'mon guys, sit down."

Neville and Seamus shuffled around the compartment in complete darkness.

"Maybe I should go ask the driver what's going on," Hermione said.

"I'll come with you," Parvati volunteered.

The door opened again, but there came a thud and exclamations of pain.

"Who is that?" Hermione muttered.

"It's Ginny. I'm so glad I managed to find you guys, I wanted to find Ron-"

"Ginny, I told you to go be with your own friends," Ron objected, though his voice lacked any real power behind it.

"You can come and sit down," Lavender invited kindly.

"Thanks. The others wanted me to find out what was going on, so I came here in the dark," She explained, searching for a seat.

"Ouch!" Harry said as she stumbled into him.

"Sorry!" She squeaked.

"No, Ginny, I'm sitting here," Dean said loudly.

"Quiet!" said a hoarse voice suddenly.

Harry surmised that Professor Lupin had finally woken up.

A soft noise echoed around the compartment, and suddenly Harry's friends' faces were bathed in light. Professor Lupin seemed to be holding a handful of flames. His stern face surveyed them carefully. "Is everyone alright?"

The others nodded noiselessly.

"Now, find a seat and stay there," He commanded.

Some scrambled for a seat as he made his way to the door. But before he could reach it, the door slid open.

In the doorway was one of the most frightening things Harry had ever seen. A tall, cloaked figure loomed over them. The face was covered completely, although a hand was protruding from the folds of its cloak. The hand seemed fit for a dead person, not a living human. The creature pulled its hand back in. The thing breathed in, seemingly drawing something from the air around it.

The compartment dropped from chilly to freezing. Harry could hardly breathe. In fact, his heart seemed to ache from the cold…

Harry was too cold. It was too much to bear the overwhelming darkness and cold, the gloom, the fright, the pain, the sensation of drowning. There was an awful feeling in him, like his blood had frozen solid and his heart had stopped beating.

Perhaps worst of all was the terrible scream that rose up from far away. It was a terrified scream, one that seemed almost familiar as it pleaded. Harry needed to help the scream. He attempted to reach out and save the scream, but it was almost all he could do to inch his hand to the side. There was a fog moving closer towards him, trying to suffocate him—

And that was all Harry could remember.

* * *

**Reply to review by Jmw:**

**If they do end up going pro together, it won't be anytime soon. Harry's currently got a 'mass murderer' after him, so he'll try and stay out of the public eye. Next year's the tournament, and then after that we get into Voldemort. However, I'm still debating on whether or not to have a sequel, and if I do, then the pro Quidditch idea is much more likely. Though I think you're right, I've never seen a fic where the whole Gryff team goes pro, so that would be fun.**

**If you wanna see more about Fred, George, and Lee's babysitting adventure, check out Chapter 4 of Lion Unity Outtakes. There's some very nice details in there for blackmail. **

**It's good to be back. Thanks for reviewing!**

* * *

**A general question for all readers:**

**Is there a character out there who you want to see more of in LU? Well, review and let me know who it is! No promises, because if there's a billion different responses, it'll be hard to fit them all in. But I shall try my best. I want to know what you want, but I'm not a mind-reader, so tell me!**


	36. Chapter 36

**AN: I swear, I really did try to respond to all the reviews. Forgive me? Anyway, this chapter almost didn't come out today. In fact, it wasn't going to until my schedule suddenly cleared up. Anyway, I just wanted to thank all the followers, favorites, and reviewers again. Special thanks to: both Guest reviewers, Majerus, Books are air, Penny is wise, MaeSilverpaws1, Firenze Fox, serialkeller, Fibinaci, Jmw, Magdylena Black, Keyblade, becuzitswrong (thanks for pointing out the typo!), Valentina Alexandrea Sparrow, MariusDarkwolf, magitech, Tellur, ElementKitsune, To the TARDIS, lealover1, Wonderbee31, and Lady Eleanor Boleyn. I have no clue when the next update will come, but it should be soon.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

Harry awoke to a weak slap to the face.

"No, no, no, that's not how you do it. Here, move over," A voice said. Seconds later Harry felt a much sharper slap to the face.

"Ow!" He moaned in response.

"Harry! Are you alright?"

"Of course he's not alright, you just slapped him cross the face!"

"What happened?" Harry blinked frantically. The lamps had come back on, and the sudden increase in light temporarily blinded him. It appeared as though Harry had fallen on the floor. All around him, Harry could see his friends watching him. In the corner stood Professor Lupin, gazing intently at him. Harry felt cold and clammy. He reached up to push his glasses back on.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Harry lied through his teeth. The hooded creature was gone. "I just don't—wait, what happened? Who was screaming?"

Harry's friends exchanged concerned glances.

"Harry," Seamus said slowly. "No one screamed."

"Really? I could have sworn I heard screaming—"Harry protested.

Something in the compartment made a loud snap, startling all the children. Professor Lupin was breaking an enormous slab of chocolate into pieces. He passed out chunks to everyone, giving Harry the largest piece.

"Here. Eat it. It'll help," He assured them.

Harry didn't eat it. "What was that thing?"

"That was a dementor," He replied heavily. "One of the dementors of Azkaban."

The group bunched together and stared at him as he shoved the empty wrapper in his pocket.

"You really should eat it. It will help you. If you'll excuse me, I must speak to the driver," He nodded in goodbye and strolled out of the compartment.

"Harry, honestly, are you positive that you're okay?" Hermione asked again.

"I just don't understand…what was going on while I…while I—"

"While you passed out?" Seamus filled in helpfully.

"It looked sort of like you were having a seizure or something," Dean provided.

"Yeah, mate. You were all rigid, and you just fell out of your seat, and you were twitching—"

"But Professor Lupin saved you!" Lavender gushed.

"He just walked right up to the dementor, like he wasn't scared of it or nothing," Seamus said eagerly.

"Then, he said, 'None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go.'" Hermione chimed in.

"And then the dementor didn't move, so next he said something, and this silvery thing came out of it, and it made the dementor go away…" Parvati trailed off.

"It was really scary," Ginny admitted, hugging herself.

"It was horrible," Neville agreed. "The dementor made everything get so cold."

"It felt weird. I felt weird," Ron added. "Almost like I'd never be cheerful again."

"But none of you—none of you fell out of your seats, right?" Harry glanced around at his friend.

"Well, no," Dean confessed.

"But you shouldn't be ashamed of yourself," Lavender rushed to make him feel better. "You just had a different reaction is all. Like…like being allergic to strawberries."

Harry still couldn't understand. He felt impossibly sick to his stomach, like the chocolate frogs from the food cart were about to make a reappearance. And why had he felt differently from the others? Why was he the only one that seemed ready to fall apart?

Professor Lupin reentered the compartment during Harry's darkest thoughts. He surveyed the area with a small smile. "I haven't poisoned that chocolate, you know…."

Harry munched on the chocolate slowly, and the rest of his food from earlier in the day was shoved back down.

"We should be at Hogwarts in ten minutes," Professor Lupin said. "Do you feel better now, Harry?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," He said, embarrassed.

Professor Lupin had just sat down again when Oliver, the twins, and Lee burst through the door.

"Are you okay?" Oliver asked frantically, looking them all in the eyes. "I was just telling Flint that no way would Slytherin ever beat Gryffindor with our team, and did you know, the Arrows asked him to come play for them in two years? The Arrows! Boy, am I glad I held out for Puddlemere! Can you imagine having to be on the same team as Marcus bloody Flint? Bet he won't be so happy once Puddlemere clobbers him! I hope he gets hit in the face with a Bludger. Course, it might end up being an improvement. I swear, he's got one of the ugliest mugs I've ever—er, hi. You must be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor," Oliver said meekly.

"Professor Lupin," The man stood and shook Oliver's hand with a smile. "I'm certain I didn't just hear you insulting a fellow student, did I?"

Oliver swallowed. "No sir. No, you did not. I was just defending the honor of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, s'all."

"Mmm." Lupin nodded knowingly. "Well, in any case, I believe your friends were more concerned with what happened after your conversation with Mr. Flint."

Oliver's eyes lit up. "Oh, right. So after Flint was done telling his filthy pack of lies, the dementors came in. And all of Flint's cronies got all weak, and so did Pucey—"

"Oh, oh, and then Malfoy came running in," Lee interrupted.

Harry sat up immediately.

"Yeah, little baby—"

"—just about wet himself—"

"—when he saw the dementors!" The twins volleyed back and forth.

Lupin cleared his throat with a twinkle in his eye.

"So then we thought we'd come check on you," Oliver finished with a smile.

"You guys are blocking the corridor!" A girl's voice called out.

"Angie!" George cheered. "You're back! Wait, where did you go?"

"If you must know, I went to go find Katie, Cormac, and Leann. You _do_ care about their wellbeing, don't you?" She huffed.

"Of course I do!" Oliver replied jovially. "Gotta start training my replacement, don't I?"

"Replacement?" Ron echoed.

"Well, yeah. I can't let the Gryffindor team fail just because they have one member that's not in top form. I've gotta start Cormac early, so that come next year, he's all ready to be a star Keeper."

"Why Cormac?" Dean wondered.

"He's the only one who's shown any interest in becoming a Keeper. Which is a shame, really, since it is the best position." Oliver shrugged.

Harry noticed a peculiar look on Ron's face, and tried to remember to ask him about it later.

Angelina snorted. "Please. Everyone knows that chaser is the best."

"Angie, dear, at the risk of angering both my captain and my girlfriend, I must respectfully disagree," George intervened smoothly.

"Beater is clearly the only position in which the goal is to hit the enemy, which proves it is far superior to all other positions," Fred bragged snootily.

"I think you guys are all forgetting that the Seeker is the one who finishes the game. The Seeker must be the best," Harry argued cheekily.

"Excuse me!" A nasal, feminine voice rang out from the corridor. "You're all blocking the way!"

"Well, sorry, Princess McLaggen," Oliver retorted.

"Oh, hi Oliver," Olivia giggled flirtatiously.

"Is there something wrong with your voice?" Oliver asked obliviously.

"No. Why on earth would you think something so silly?" She batted her eyelashes.

"Wait. I got this. There's something in your eye that's bothering you, and it's causing you pain. You're moving your eyelashes like that to get it out, and your voice got higher because it hurts. It's okay, you can just fish around in there, no one's going to think badly of you," Oliver told her.

"Ugh! No, that is _not_ it. You know what, Oliver Wood, just forget it. Now move!" She ordered.

The five teens stepped aside as Olivia stormed away.

"I swear, at the end of this year, I'm just gonna expand the compartment so that we can all sit together." Oliver shook his head.

"Isn't that against the rules?" Hermione said reprovingly.

"Yeah, but by then, I'll be a graduate, and it's not like they can give me detention." Oliver grinned.

Lupin shifted and made a small noise.

Oliver froze. "You didn't see anything," He denied quickly. "Well, see you guys later. C'mon, let's go."

"You mean before you say another stupid thing that's likely to get you in trouble?" Lee laughed.

After they were gone, Harry slumped back in his seat, giving up the pretense of staying strong. "Um, listen, you guys, I was hoping that maybe none of you would…well, I just don't want anyone to know about what happened with the dementor."

Harry peeked up at their expressions, only to find them all nodding like this was to be expected.

"Of course," Dean agreed.

"Harry, we'd never tell anyone," Hermione said earnestly.

"You can trust us," Neville spoke up bravely.

"That means you too, Ginny," Ron told the younger girl.

"I'm not going to tell, Ron!" She snapped.

"Anyone includes your club," He sneered.

"I'm not stupid. I understand that. The only one without a brain here is you!" She retorted.

"Oh yeah? Well, you're just—hey, where're you guys goin'?"

"The train stopped already," Lavender sighed dramatically.

"Oh." Ginny's ears turned red, as did Ron's.

* * *

Harry immediately felt at home as he entered the castle. Hogwarts was still as warm and welcoming as ever. He could almost hear Professor McGonagall's voice now…

"Mr. Potter! Miss Granger!"

"Hello, Professor," Hermione greeted automatically, spinning around to face her.

"Er, hello," Harry bobbed his head.

"Please come to my office. I have a few urgent matters to discuss with you. Not to worry, you aren't in trouble," She added hastily, catching their looks of fear. "Run along, Weasley. You too, Brown."

Harry and Hermione had to jog to follow after McGonagall's brisk pace. She refused to look at them, or even to hint at what she wished to speak about.

"Modification!" She barked at the gargoyles, which sprung aside to reveal a winding staircase.

Upon entering her office, Harry was greeted by the sight of the Deputy Headmistress, Professor Sinistra, and the Gryffindor Head of House, Professor Burbage, as well as Madam Pomfrey.

"Professor Lupin was kind enough to send an owl ahead to say that you weren't feeling well, Harry," Professor Burbage said kindly, examining him closely.

Harry turned red. Really, he was much better now. It didn't matter anymore. Whatever that thing had done to him, he was sure it wasn't going to happen again. "I'm fine. I really don't need anything."

"Potter, let Madam Pomfrey take care of you for a moment. Miss Granger, Professor Sinistra will give you what you need. I need to get back in time for the Sorting. Excuse me," Professor McGonagall stood abruptly and left again.

Madam Pomfrey leaned in closely. "I hope you haven't been doing something dangerous…_again_!"

"It was a dementor, Poppy," Professor Burbage said softly.

Madam Pomfrey clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "I cannot believe it. Setting dementors around a school is an awful idea. It's only going to get worse from here. I don't know what Fudge was thinking. Honestly, the damage they can do to people who are already delicate—"

"I'm not delicate!" Harry spoke up crossly.

"Of course you're not," said Madam Pomfrey absentmindedly, now taking his pulse.

"Is he going to be alright?" Burbage asked worriedly. "Maybe bed rest in the hospital wing?"

"I'm _fine_!" Harry repeated angrily, jumping up.

Burbage's eyes grew wide. "I just want to make sure you're alright."

Harry instantly felt guilty and began to stare at the floor.

"He should at least have some chocolate," Madam Pomfrey interrupted.

"Professor Lupin already gave us all some," Hermione told her. "He made sure Harry was okay."

Madam Pomfrey leaned back. "Really? It would appear that we finally have a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies."

"Are you really sure you feel all right, Harry?" Burbage asked, meeting his eyes.

"Yes, I'm sure," He said more gently.

"Alright. Harry, Professor McGonagall and I need to have a conversation with you about something important. It would take too long to do it tonight, but if you could maybe come by after classes tomorrow, is that okay?"

"Yeah," Harry agreed, almost positive that he knew what the talk would be about.

"Great. Now, Professor Sinistra and I are going to talk to Hermione about her schedule, and I was just hoping that you could wait outside so that we can all walk down to the feast together."

Harry walked down the stairs. He didn't have to wait too long for Hermione, who came out with Sinistra and Burbage, looking very pleased with herself.

The pair seemed to have missed the sorting, but they were just in time for McGonagall's opening speech.

"Welcome to another excellent year at Hogwarts," She began regally. "I would first like to begin by speaking about an incident that occurred on the Hogwarts Express. The dementors of Azkaban are now going to surround Hogwarts at any and all possible entrances. No one is to leave the school without express permission. Dementors cannot be fooled by tricks, disguises, distractions, or even invisibility."

Harry felt a small chill run up his spine at the thought.

"Dementors are not known as particularly forgiving. It is imperative that you stay away from them, and do not give them any reason to harm you. It is especially important that our prefects and our new Head Boy and Girl make sure that students are kept safe."

Percy straightened happily, glancing around the Great Hall with a feeling of superiority.

"Now that you all understand the," She paused, "severity of this situation, I would like to move on. We have two new teachers this year. For Defense Against the Dark Arts, we have Professor Remus Lupin."

Harry and his friends burst into raucous applause, though they seemed to be the only enthusiastic ones in the Great Hall. Professor Lupin and his shabby robes didn't seem to impress most of the other students. Professor Snape glared at Lupin. There was more hate pouring from Snape than Harry had seen in a long time, and it seemed suspicious that kind, mild-mannered Lupin should be the one to provoke such a reaction.

Professor McGonagall's expression soured slightly, and she seemed the slightest bit reluctant to share this next piece of news. "Unfortunately, our dear Professor Kettleburn, our former Care of Magical Creatures teacher, chose to retire at the end of last year in order to protect his remaining limbs. Fortunately, Rubeus Hagrid, Hogwarts' very own gameskeeper, has volunteered to fill this role."

The Gryffindor table paused in disbelief before bursting into applause. Hagrid was beaming from happiness.

Harry's friends kept up wild conversations all throughout dinner, as Harry zoned out to focus on stuffing his face.

"What about you, Harry?" Percy turned to him hopefully.

Harry grinned. "Sorry, Percy. I'm too smart to fall for that one again."

Percy appeared crestfallen. "Well, I tried. You think Ron might fall for it?"

Harry considered this for a moment. "Probably."

Percy smiled again. "Great!"

When McGonagall dismissed them from their tables, a surge of Gryffindors descended on the teachers' table to congratulate Hagrid.

"We're so happy for you!" Parvati squealed.

"Yeah, it's really great you got it!" Dean added happily.

"Thank yer. I just couldn't believe it when 'fessor McGonagall come down to me hut and tell me I was hired. I always wanted ter teach…" Hagrid began to sob from happiness and used the tablecloth as a tissue.

Burbage quickly and quietly asked them to leave before he began to wail.

The rest of the Gryffindors began to follow Percy and the tiny first years due to a lack of anything else to do. Just as they always had, the first years threw out exclamations of awe over the marble staircases and the suits of armor. As usual, the portrait of the Fat Lady was there to greet them.

"Password?"

"Excuse me. I need to get through. Excuse me. Do you want to know the password or not? EXCUSE ME!" Percy shouted finally, pushing his way through the crowd. "The new password is 'Fortuna Major'!" He huffed, irritated.

"Oh no," Neville murmured sadly.

"Don't worry, Neville," Dean told him reassuringly. "You can always ask one of us."

The boys and girls went their separate ways to their dorms, ready to get some sleep. Harry was so tired, all thoughts of Sirius Black and dementors had been driven from his mind.

* * *

**Replies to anonymous reviews:**

**Jmw: Let's not get too hasty there, though I do appreciate the compliment. I'm just a total sucker for good, gigantic friendships, and I'm really not into the whole 'being betrayed makes you a stronger person' plotline. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Keyblade: This is not going to be a Harry/Ginny fic, but that doesn't mean there can't be some more Ginny development, so I'll try and see what I come up with. Thanks for reviewing!**


	37. Chapter 37

**AN: So, we're here again. As always, I am so glad to see all of your responses to the last chapter. Thanks to all of the followers and favorites out there. Super tons of thanks to reviewers: Kairan1979, Majerus, BuriedHumanity, Firenze Fox, Guest, Jmw, Twisted Identity, Penny is wise, lealover1, Magdylena Black, Lady Sabine of Macayhill, magitech, Ari989, becuzitswrong, B00kw0rm92, MariusDarkwolf, BronzeButterfly18, serialkeller, Books are air, Fibinaci, LuckyCat1, Tellur, and monbade. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise. **

On the first official day of his fourth year, Cormac McLaggen awoke to terrified shouts, coming from the seventh year boys' dormitory. He sat straight up in his four poster bed and swung his legs over the side.

"Push it down the stairs!" Oliver Wood shouted.

"What is it?" Percy Weasley yelled.

"I dunno, just get rid of it!" Oliver shouted back.

The sixth year boys weren't expecting the huge ball of fur that came flying at them.

"Aaah!"

"Get away, get away!"

"Try and hex it!"

"It won't stand still!"

The beast traveled down another flight of stairs to reach the fifth years, who were (mostly) ready.

"Come here, little…ball of fluff," Lee cooed, wiggling his fingers. "C'mere! Aha! Gotcha. 'Kay, what now?" He turned to the twins.

"Hey, wait a minute," Fred held up his hand.

"Isn't that…" George began, studying the creature more closely.

"Don't worry, Jordan! I'll save you!" Bernie Benson burst at Lee, intending to knock the frightening, hideous, disgusting little thing away.

"No, don't!" Lee exclaimed; but it was too late. The cat had fled from the room.

This time, Cormac was ready for it. He made a wild swipe at the air, scooping the beast into his waiting arms. His fellow fourth years pulled out their wands.

"Wait! This isn't going to murder us, you guys," Cormac explained. "It's just Hermione's cat."

"Granger's cat?"

"That's an ugly looking thing."

Crookshanks hissed at the ignorant fools.

"Don't worry, Crookshanks. I'll get you back to Hermione right away," Cormac whispered, descending the steps. The cat burrowed into his arms and let out a contented purr. But as Cormac passed the third year dormitories, a strange shadow passed over Crookshanks' face, and the orange puffball leaped toward the open door, where all five boys were watching.

"What's Hermione's cat doing in the boys' dorms?" Dean asked.

"Get away from Scabbers, you—you monster!" Ron declared firmly, standing on his bed with his rat clutched close to his chest.

Crookshanks reached up and clawed Ron's leg viciously.

"Seamus! Take Scabbers. Hide him!" Ron begged through the pain.

Seamus eyed the cat doubtfully. "This one's on you, mate."

"What on earth is going on?" Hermione asked from the doorway.

"That thing's a menace!" Ron yelped. "He tried to kill Scabbers!"

Hermione shot him an icy glare and delicately cradled Crookshanks. "Crookie would never do such a thing, would you?" She rubbed him between the ears, smiling as he purred. She carefully perched him on her shoulder and turned away, missing Crookshanks' sinister grin at Ron.

"I'll see you all at breakfast," She called back.

All six boys in the room groaned.

"D'you think there's any chance I could go back to bed and not be late for class?" Dean wondered, rubbing his eyes.

"Doubt it," Harry mumbled, dragging himself to the bathroom. If he was honest with himself, he was partially thankful towards Crookshanks. The cat's mishaps had woken Harry from a very vivid dream, one which he could no longer remember. But he did recall seeing the laughing eyes of Black, and try as he might, Harry couldn't shake that startling image.

* * *

"Good morning Gryffindors!" Charity chirped, passing out the schedules for the rest of the year. "I hope you're all doing well on your first day!"

Neville began to slump forward into his porridge before being nudged awake by Parvati.

"Is something wrong?" Charity asked worriedly, the smile slowly slipping off her face.

"No, no," Percy told her quickly. "We just…didn't get much sleep."

Charity tilted her head to the side. "You know Percy, you can move into the Head dorms, if you want to."

"I know. I just…" He glanced up and down the Gryffindor table. "I'd rather stay in the tower."

She smiled at him. "I understand. Now, if anyone has any questions or concerns about their schedule, let me know as soon as you can. Unfortunately, I have to eat up at the teachers' table today—"

The kids groaned good-naturedly.

"I know, I know. But I will be back tomorrow. Good luck!" She swept away, but not before surreptitiously dropping a note into Harry's lap.

_Don't forget to visit the Headmistress' office after classes today. Remember, the password is Modification!_

Harry frowned and stuffed the note in his pocket, not looking forward to the talk at all.

"What's your first class?" Lavender asked all of the third years.

"I have Divination," Parvati volunteered. "It looks like fun."

Hermione pursed her lips and didn't respond. Ron snatched her schedule out of her hands.

"I don't understand, Hermione," He told her, frowning. "Someone must've messed up your schedule. You can't possibly take this many classes."

"What're you taking?" Seamus asked.

"Well, I'm taking Muggle Studies, Divination, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Care of Magical Creatures." Hermione ticked them off on her fingers before grabbing a piece of toast.

"Hermione, you have three classes at nine o'clock," Katie pointed out. "There's no way you'll be able to make it to all of them."

"I've already worked it all out," She said calmly.

"The only way to take all of those is if you're in three places at once." Oliver stretched for the sausage.

"I've worked it out," She repeated snappishly. "Can someone pass the marmalade?"

"Yeah, sure," Oliver said absentmindedly. "Perce, guess what? We have Defense first! Isn't that great?"

Percy stared at him. "Um, I guess. Since when did you start like Defense so much?"

"Oh, I don't," He replied cheerfully. "It's just that we'll be Professor Lupin's first class, so we get to break him in."

Percy chewed his eggs thoughtfully. "I don't know. Aren't we a little too old for that?"

Oliver's eyes grew comically wide. "You're never too old to show a teacher the ropes. It'll be fun."

Percy glanced towards the teacher's table, where Lupin sat oblivious. "As long as it's not too immature or…or inappropriate, or anything like that."

"You worry too much," Oliver told him, waving away his concerns.

* * *

Remus Lupin was not nervous. Not a single bit. In fact, he had never been calmer in his life. He was completely, totally, utterly fine. His first class was full of seventh years, some of whom probably only took this class to fill up their schedule, but that didn't bother him. He was so not worried. He was great. Never mind the fact that just being in the room brought back memories that made him want to hurl, and that he was still shaken from seeing Harry—Harry, James' _son_—almost get kissed by a dementor.

Maybe this had been a bad idea. Maybe he shouldn't have come here. But Minerva had practically begged him to come work at Hogwarts, and he'd been desperate for money and a place to stay. Now he didn't even have to spend money on lodgings and food. That didn't mean he'd throw that money away. No, he had to save it up. There was no telling how long this job would last.

But Harry was here! The little boy that Remus had been too terrified to contact. Remus wasn't stupid; he knew Sirius (_Black_, he told himself roughly) had convinced Lily and James that he was the spy. The idea wasn't completely unfounded. The werewolves had taken Voldemort's side in the war, and Remus had become increasingly distant after Harry was born. It was just that…seeing that baby had made Remus' heart ache. The possibility of him having a child was so preposterous! Remus could never condemn a child to that awful situation.

He regretted it. Of course he did, especially now that Lily and James were…gone. Remus could never see them again. Seeing Harry now though, thirteen years old, nearly identical to James, except for the eyes…that changed everything. Oh, how things changed. If only Remus had found out where he lived, pushed harder to visit him. But he hadn't.

And now, being back at Hogwarts had twisted his insides. Walking through the familiar halls and watching as the same scenes played out before his eyes. Remus had almost sat down at the Gryffindor table instead of his designated spot next to Snape. Remus scowled, thinking of the man. Snape had been furious upon finding out that Remus had applied for the Defense position, and even more furious upon finding out that Remus had been chosen over Snape. Remus had thought the man was about to burst a blood vessel when he was ordered to make the Wolfsbane potion.

"Professor Lupin, right?" Oliver Wood had entered the room along with this year's Head Boy, Percy Weasley.

"Yes, that's right." Remus shook his hand. "And you're Oliver Wood, correct?"

"Yeah." Wood shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth.

Remus recognized the gleam in his eyes and was instantly put on his guard. "Your father was a few years ahead of me in school. How is he, by the way?"

Remus had intended to use Tristan as some sort of leverage, to pretend that he could easily contact Oliver's father should any problems arrive. He quickly realized this was the wrong tactic, as both Wood and Weasley stiffened.

"Erm, well, he actually died, um—a few years ago." Wood rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that," Remus said genuinely. He quickly turned away and cursed himself. His first day and he was already making thoughtless blunders.

"Anyway, we just came to make sure you were settling in okay," Weasley added hurriedly, pulling Wood away.

"Yeah, good luck. We're just gonna go real quick. But we'll be back for your first class," Wood called as he was dragged out the door.

Remus sighed and cradled his head in his hands. That was just one more person he knew who had passed away. He sat down heavily. People shouldn't have to die so young. The war had been tragic enough, but when there was no longer any foul play going on….

Snape seemed to take every opportunity possible to remind Remus of his numerous failures. As long as they weren't in earshot of Augusta or Minerva, that is. Remus leaned back and reflected on the staff. There had been so many changes since he was in school, most notably Dumbledore's departure. At least Binns was finally gone. Despite his love of history, Remus had never been able to stay awake in that class.

Remus stood up, reaching a decision. He would stay, and he would make sure every student in the room enjoyed, or was at least engaged in, the lesson. He owed it to the kids…and to Lily and James.

* * *

Harry dragged himself back to McGonagall's office, exhausted. He was _never_ riding a hippogriff again. It had been exhilarating, at least until Malfoy had to go and ruin everything. Harry couldn't stand him. Malfoy had known not to antagonize a hippogriff, or at least should've had the common sense not to go insulting something that could probably kill him.

All of his classes had been stressful, really. In Divination, his teacup had supposedly contained the Grim. Parvati and Lavender had both looked frightened at that, and said it must have something to do with Black and possibly even the dementors. Then, in Transfiguration, Professor Tonks had said that Trelawney predicted such things fairly often, and they had never yet come true. No one was relieved by this news, because Sirius Black was still out there, and even Harry himself was starting to believe it.

Afterwards was the disastrous Care of Magical Creatures, which Harry was trying his best to forget. McGonagall couldn't possibly fire Hagrid, could she? Harry decided to confront her later, in order to stop the worrying for both him and his friends. This was going to be after she told him about Sirius Black, as he predicted she was going to. What else could she and Burbage want to meet with him about?

"Modification," He told the gargoyle, lost in thought.

Both McGonagall and Burbage had been waiting for him anxiously. Harry almost smiled at their expressions; wouldn't they be shocked when he told them he knew everything.

"Mr. Potter, please, have a biscuit," McGonagall offered, gesturing to a pretty tin on her desk.

Harry selected one at random and munched noiselessly, leaning back in McGonagall's squashy chair.

"Mr. Potter, have you heard of the Fidelius Charm?" She asked delicately.

Harry shook his head slowly.

"But I suppose you have heard of Sirius Black, right?" Burbage blurted out nervously.

Harry nodded. "Look Professors, I know all about Black and what he's done and who he's after. Mr. Weasley already told me." He tried to appease them, but found they just looked even more worried.

"You know and you're not angry? Or-or seeking revenge?" Burbage gaped at him.

Harry frowned, confused. "Why would I be seeking revenge?"

"But—but you just said…"

"Potter, how much do you know about Black?" McGonagall interrupted.

"Well, he was Voldemort's right-hand man, and he murdered thirteen people with one curse, and he just escaped Azkaban, and now he's looking for me to finish what Voldemort started." When Harry laid it all out like that, it seemed like he knew only a miniscule amount. But there couldn't really be any more to know, right?

"Then there is a lot to this story that you do not know," McGonagall told him gently, sipping her tea. "Have another biscuit."

Harry took another biscuit and chewed this one more slowly.

"The Fidelius Charm is a complex charm that is only employed in times of great peril. It is not currently a part of the Hogwarts curriculum. It allows for a location to be hidden from all eyes."

"Like the Leaky Cauldron?" Harry asked.

"Not quite," Burbage replied. "The Leaky Cauldron can only be seen by those with magic in their blood. The Fidelius Charm is much more powerful than that."

"Your parents were under a Fidelius Charm. It was how they managed to stay hidden for so long," McGonagall explained. "The spell also requires placing a large amount of trust in one person. This person is called the Secret Keeper. The Secret Keeper is the only one who can reveal that location."

Harry was beginning to feel queasy. Something about this wasn't right.

"Potter, have another biscuit," McGonagall ordered. She waited until he was chewing to continue talking. "Potter, your family's Secret Keeper was Sirius Black."

Harry fell back in the chair, hardly daring to breathe. He must've heard that wrong. He _must've_. It couldn't be that Sirius Black was the person who his parents trusted most. That wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible. Because if what McGonagall was saying was true, then Black had betrayed his parents, and Lily and James Potter had died thanks to the laughing madman that kept appearing in his dreams.

"Harry?" Burbage put a hand on his shoulder, bringing him back to McGonagall's office.

"Why?" Harry croaked, looking straight at McGonagall. "Why did they trust him?"

"Mr. Potter, you have to understand, those were difficult times. There were so many people you could no longer trust, people you had known for years and had suddenly become someone different. James Potter and Black went to school together, and the two of them had been the best of friends ever since first year. No one would have ever suspected—" McGonagall broke off and quickly sipped some more tea.

"Another friend of James and Black was Peter Pettigrew. He was the one to reveal Black as a traitor. Black killed him and twelve muggles after he was exposed. After that, he was carted off to Azkaban. Mr. Potter, what you need to realize is that no one could have known what Black was really like. It was one of You-Know-Who's best kept secrets. Everyone trusted Black to keep Lily and James safe. He was even your godfather."

"He was?" Harry's head popped up again. If anything, that revelation made him feel even worse. Harry's godfather was a mass murderer. Imagine how that sentence would sound aloud. Probably even more strange than it did in his head.

"He was," McGonagall confirmed before grabbing another biscuit.

Harry wanted to stand up and run from the room. He wanted to be anywhere but there. He'd rather be flying a hippogriff, or playing Quidditch in the freezing rain, or even holed up in the Hospital Wing without any visitors. Because what he was hearing was just not possible. It wasn't even remotely possible. Sirius Black was nothing more than an escaped convict out to kill Harry. That was all he was. He wasn't the Secret Keeper for the Potters, and he most certainly was _not_ Harry's godfather. That was out of the question.

Perhaps Harry really would die at the hands of Black. Perhaps Black would try and convince Harry that he was innocent. Perhaps Black would even gloat about the Potters' deaths. Harry wondered if he was just going to lie down and take it. Would he be shocked and surprised, like his parents probably were? What had they thought, when they realized that their friend had betrayed him? Had they ever even suspected such a thing was possible? Probably not.

Thinking of Harry's parents made him grow hot with rage. Sirius Black had surprised them. He had blind-sided them, and they had never guessed. That wouldn't happen to Harry. When Sirius Black came, for Harry was sure now that he would, Harry would be ready for him. He wasn't just going to give up and die. He would make sure that his parents were avenged. He would make sure Black realized the weight of what he had done.

Harry stood abruptly. "Thank you for letting me know, Professors. If you'll excuse me, I'm kind of tired."

"Harry, you know if you need to talk, you can come find me, okay?" Burbage rose as well, carefully swiping the tears from her face.

"I know. I'll see you tomorrow." He hadn't meant to sound so stiff, but that was how it had come out.

It was as Harry was descending the stairs that he thought of something. He was going to have to tell his friends all about one Mr. Sirius Black.


	38. Chapter 38

**AN: I know I told a few of you I would update right after the fourth, but some circumstances changed. Unfortunately, I now have very limited access to a computer, which means I just typed up all of this chapter in one sitting. Granted, it was stewing in my mind for several days, but still. That doesn't mean that chapters will be few and far between, and it shouldn't last for long. Just that I won't have a lot of time to answer all of your questions, but I will try. Thanks to all of the readers, followers, and favorites who have even glanced at this story. Tons of thanks to all of you who devoted the time to leave a review: lilmisadiva, red neo ranger, heart chan, TrisakAminawn, Majerus, Penny is wise, becuzitswrong, tpx1, Ari989, serialkeller, ILoveGeorgeEads, Kairan1979, To the TARDIS, Lady Sabine of Macayhill, Guest, magitech, AlaskanKing, Firenze Fox, Sakura Lisel, Tellur, ultima-owner, MariusDarkwolf, Fibinaci, Wonderbee31, and B00kw0rm92. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

In their seven years at Hogwarts, Remus and his friends had often wondered just what happened during the school's infamous staff meetings. Was it secretly a huge disco party, allowing Dumbledore to parade around in his flashiest robes without being judged? Were the few hours spent in the staff room used to vent their frustration on the Marauders' frequent pranks? Or was it perhaps used to spend time gossiping about all of the latest drama occurring within the castle's walls? Remus doubted his friends would've been happy to learn that it was just a regular, boring meeting where teachers discussed what needed to be improved upon.

Of course, at the time, none of them had considered what it would be like if they took away Dumbledore and added in Remus and Snape. The Potions master was currently glaring across the table at the werewolf, his inky black eyes unreadable. Whatever he was thinking, Remus was positive it wasn't good. All around him, the professors paired off to chat about…well, Remus wasn't sure, exactly. He stood at the edge of the room, ready to flee at a moment's notice.

Minerva cleared her throat, leveling them all with a serious look. "In case you've all forgotten, this is a staff meeting, not a social hour."

Pomona giggled. "Oh, hush, Minerva. It's not as though you haven't done the same thing."

Minerva smiled tightly. Something about her expression seemed off to Remus. "Yes, well, circumstances have changed. It is of the utmost importance that I speak to you all now."

Snape rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest.

"As you all know, the dementors have surrounded Hogwarts by order of the Minister. Any outdoor classes need to first be approved by either myself or Aurora—especially after today." She glanced pointedly at Hagrid, who flushed. "I believe this goes without saying, but I would like to remind you all that you should pay extra attention to students who might have the opportunity to come into contact with the dementors. I understand these circumstances are…less than ideal," Minerva paused for a beat, "but I think you'll find that this is necessary."

There was a murmur of assent around the room. Remus swallowed, eyes darting back to Snape, whose glare was unflinching.

"Remus, Hagrid, how are you settling into your new positions?" She asked politely, folding her hands on top of the table.

Hagrid averted his eyes, surprising Remus. It seemed to him that the friendly, eager half-giant would've spoken up about his classes relatively quickly. "I think yeh all know about tha' accident, what with the hippogriffs and all…" He trailed off meekly, hunching over in his chair.

Remus noted the way Snape's face twisted into a smirk.

"But besides tha', I think it went okay." Hagrid reached up to stroke his beard contemplatively.

"And you, Remus?" Sinistra nodded towards him.

Remus cleared his throat. Snape was still smirking. "It went well, thank you."

Flitwick seemed mildly disappointed. "Just well?"

"Yes," Remus replied shortly. He resisted the urge to shrink down into his chair and raised his chin a few centimeters.

"One last order of business," Minerva spoke again, drawing everyone's attention back to her. "And it is perhaps the most imperative. With Black on the loose, security needs to be the top priority for everyone. If you suspect anything, get the children to safety and notify myself or Aurora straight away. And if anyone knows anything that could help end the hunt for Black, they should speak up now."

Remus put his trembling hands under the table and stared straight ahead, masking his anxiety. He could feel Snape's eyes boring a hole in his head. Should he say something? He should, shouldn't he? He should tell them. But telling them would mean admitting that they had gone against the law. More than that, it would mean going against the pact all four of them had made in school, when they'd agreed never to tell anyone what they'd done ("Except for maybe Lily," James had added hastily). He didn't much care if he went against Sirius at this point, but betraying James and Peter would…it would wreck him.

In the end he remained silent, so focused on his thoughts that he didn't hear Minerva end the meeting. A light touch on his upper arm made him jump.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Charity apologized sincerely, eyes widening.

"No, no, it's fine. You just startled me." He hadn't had the chance to really talk to her. He knew she taught Muggle Studies and was the Head of Gryffindor, which had intrigued him. She appeared to be about his age, and yet she didn't seem the slightest bit familiar. Stranger still was the fact that she sat with the Gryffindors at lunch, to the obvious disdain of Snape.

"Can I talk to you outside?" She asked, moving her head from side to side furtively.

"Of course." He wondered what was so secretive that they couldn't speak about in the staff room. Maybe she just didn't like being around Snape. He could sympathize with that.

Charity was silent as they moved through the hallways, reaching a small alcove. She fidgeted nervously, twirling a lock of blond hair around her finger. Remus waited patiently for a few minutes, but she didn't seem to ready to speak any time soon.

He sighed. "Listen, Charity, what is this about?"

She squirmed a bit more. "I know you were friends with Sirius Black!"

Remus froze and unconsciously took a step back.

Her mouth dropped open in shock. "I'm sorry, that came out so wrong, I'm not judging you, I swear—"

"It's fine," He said automatically.

She shook her head emphatically. "No, it isn't. It really isn't. Look, can I just start over?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued. "Earlier today, Minerva and I spook with Harry about Black and what he did to the Potters."

_Oh, Merlin…_Remus swallowed heavily and nodded.

"But we didn't mention you at all. We just wanted to tell him all the fact, y'know? We didn't want him to go into it blind."

"He probably took the news badly," Remus said lightly, rubbing his sweaty palms on his robes.

"Actually, he didn't. He seemed very…I don't know a good word for it, but his reaction wasn't right. He most likely talked it over with his friends, but I'm not sure…I just think that maybe it would help him to talk to someone who understands what he's going through." She peeked up at him from behind curly blonde bangs.

"Oh." Remus didn't know how to respond to that. If he agreed, that would bring up everything he'd been trying to avoid, all the feelings he'd stamped down for years. But if he refused, what would happen to Harry? How would Harry feel? The thought of James and Lily's son having to face that pain alone made his throat constrict. He, Remus, had been alone when he had to go through that unbearable feeling of loneliness and loss and the realization that he would never see any of those people again. But Harry was only thirteen…

"I'll do it," He decided aloud.

Charity's face brightened and her blonde curls practically vibrated with excitement. "You will? Oh, thank you!" She threw her arms around him in a grateful hug.

He almost fell back in surprise before instinctively hugging her back. It had been a while since he'd been hugged. It had been a while before anyone had told him thank you for anything, even something simple.

Charity pulled back, seemingly unfazed. "I know this is probably going to be very difficult for you, and I thought maybe you wouldn't accept—"

"I wasn't in Gryffindor for nothing," He cut her off with a smile.

She beamed back at him. "This is going to help Harry so much, I—I just—thank you," She finished.

He blinked as the full force of her happiness hit him. "You really want to help those kids, don't you?"

She stared at him, as though surprised he would ask such a question. "Of course. I'm their Head of House. It's kind of my job," She explained.

"Yes, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone go to such lengths to do it before." He reached up to rub the back of his neck. This conversation was quickly becoming a bit uncomfortable.

She blushed. "I guess that's just me, then. I see something that needs to be done, and I do it. They've come so far in such a short amount of time. I'm so proud of them."

Remus found himself smiling at her again. It had been a while since he'd used those muscles, and he found it came with a pleasant sort of pain. "It's good to see that you care so much. Um, I haven't eaten dinner yet, I was kind of busy then."

"Oh, well, neither have I. That talk with Harry put off my appetite for a bit, and now it's back with a vengeance. Mind if I join you?" She asked hesitantly.

Normally, Remus found himself immensely irritated when people invited themselves along to things. But Remus was quickly figuring out that Charity was not normal, and she wasn't too bad of a companion. At least she wouldn't be worse than Sirius, who had been known to pack away enough food for four people.

"Sure. Why not?" He replied, setting off towards the kitchens.

It was the first time in twelve years he'd been able to think about Sirius without feeling that dull ache in his chest.

* * *

When Harry got back to the Common Room, he realized that no one was there. It was dinner time. Harry didn't feel like going down to the Great Hall and facing all of those people. His stomach churned at the thought of eating anyways. He sat down in a red squashy chair by the fire, only to find that his mind couldn't concentrate on anything but Sirius Black. He groaned and stood to go up to his dorms. Maybe he could catch a quick nap before what was bound to be a long conversation with his friends. As he was climbing the stairs he bumped into another boy and sent parchment flying everywhere.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled, gathering some of the parchment.

"Harry!" Oliver exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I wasn't that hungry." Harry shrugged noncommittally. "What about you?"

"Quidditch plays," Oliver answered, gesturing to the parchment. "First match is against Slytherin. I have to prove to Flint that we'll always be better than he is."

Typically when Oliver talked about beating someone at Quidditch, a certain fire appeared in his eyes. This time, there was no such fire. Instead, a dull look gazed back at Harry. Was it fear? But fear of what? Oliver couldn't possibly be afraid of Flint, could he?

"Oliver, are you okay?" Harry asked, handing over the rest of the plays.

"Yeah, yeah. Did I tell you that Flint got signed to the Arrows? Can you believe that? Clearly they don't care that he's as dumb as a sack of rocks. He had to repeat this year! And they still signed him."

"You told me," Harry said flatly.

"Oh, right. Well, when I'm on Puddlemere and he's with the Arrows, I'll make sure that he knows who the best is."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "How was Quidditch camp, by the way?"

"Oh, it was great. I learned a lot. I'm planning on using some of it in the next game. Flint'll never see it coming. The Arrows wouldn't let him come to training camp until next year."

Harry nodded, pretending to be interested. "I bet you had fun getting to see all of the Puddlemere players."

"Oh yeah. Loads." Oliver shifted, looking uncomfortable. "Listen, Harry, are you sure you're alright? You don't look too good."

Harry cursed inwardly. Was he really that obvious? "I was hoping to tell you guys something after dinner."

"Yeah? Well, it looks like everyone's back now, so you could probably tell us now." Oliver gestured towards the portrait hole, where Gryffindors were pouring in.

"Yeah, I guess." Harry trudged back over to the fireplace and rubbed his eyes tiredly. His friends sat around him, anticipating the talk he had told them about on the train. Yesterday now seemed like a lifetime ago to Harry.

"Are you okay?" Katie wondered worriedly.

"I just have something to tell you guys, s'all." He remained silent until everyone else had cleared out of the Common Room. While he did have the majority of Gryffindor on his side, that didn't mean he wasn't still leery of the others. Especially after finding out about Black.

"So what is it?" Leann asked eagerly, leaning forward. It was close to midnight by the time the Common Room was empty.

"Mr. Weasley told me before we got on the train that Sirius Black is after me," Harry told them quietly.

Alicia gasped loudly. The Weasley brothers went pale, their freckles standing out sharply. Katie hugged herself.

"And a few hours ago, Professor Burbage and McGonagall told me something else."

"There's more?" Parvati asked, confused.

Harry nodded grimly. "Have any of you heard of the Fidelius Charm?"

Percy and Hermione nodded, while everyone else looked clueless. The three quickly filled them in, though everyone remained confused about why he had asked such a question.

Harry took a deep breath. "Sirius Black was my parents' Secret Keeper, and he was my godfather."

There was an instant outcry from every soul in the room.

"No bloody way!" Seamus shouted.

"But how?" Angelina stammered.

"That's sick!" Lee declared firmly.

Eventually Percy began to shush them all, reminding them that there were still people sleeping upstairs. The room settled down as a heavy silence hung over them.

Finally, Neville spoke up. "What are we going to do about it?"

It didn't escape Harry's notice that Neville had said "we." He surveyed the serious faces around him. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to go after him," He said stoically.

The mood grew even more solemn.

"But, what about your promise?" Lavender reminded him.

"Yeah, you told Dad you wouldn't go after Black!" Ron said.

"But that was before I knew about this," Harry replied, glaring into the fire.

"He made you promise that you wouldn't do it _no matter what_, Harry," Hermione repeated.

"I don't care," He retorted stubbornly, standing up as though about to head out immediately.

Oliver stood as well, highlighting the extreme height difference between the boys. "Do you really think that a fully grown wizard who's been trained in the dark arts is going to get beat by you? He's not going to go easy on you, Harry. You can't just hit him with a _Petrificus Totalus _and drag him back to Hogwarts for the dementors."

"I've beaten Voldemort twice before," Harry pointed out.

"That was by sheer dumb luck," Percy disagreed. "You had no clue what you were doing."

"So? I could do it again!" Harry replied defensively.

"Are you seriously willing to chance that?" Hermione asked quietly, eyes cast downward. "You know what they say. Third time's the charm. Maybe this will finally be it. Maybe your luck will run out. Think about this logically, Harry," She pleaded. "Black would _kill_ you."

Harry paused. The roaring in his ears was finally growing quieter, and he was coming down from the high of his adrenaline. "I just…he killed my parents," Harry said weakly. "He was their best friend, and he killed them. Just without a second thought. He just handed them over to Voldemort, like he didn't even care. Like all of it was a lie." Harry was ashamed to feel tears pricking the back of his eyes.

The room fell silent again. Harry was too tired to remain standing and collapsed back into the chair. There was tense atmosphere around him, and he wondered if this really would be it. If he would have to go it alone, without any help from his friends.

And then Neville, shy, insecure, bumbling, Neville Longbottom stood up. "My parents aren't dead," He declared quietly. "My parents aren't dead," He repeated, a little more loudly. "They're still alive. But they don't know who I am. They have no clue. Because…because a bunch of Death Eaters came and tortured them so badly that they have no memory. They don't ever talk. They don't _do_ anything!" He burst out, frustrated.

Neville began breathing heavily. "And yeah, when I think about who did that to them, I get really angry. I get so angry that I just want—that I just want to hurt them back, to make them feel what I felt." There were tears on Neville's face, and a hint of hysteria was creeping into his voice. "They're all in Azkaban now, with the dementors, and they're getting what they deserve. Dementors would drive anyone mad. But that doesn't make me feel any better. Harry, getting back at Black won't make you feel any better. It won't bring back your parents."

Neville's breath hitched. "Going after Black won't get you anything. But it will get something for Black. He'll finally have what he wanted. He just wants to kill all the Potters. And if—if you die, then that'll just make him happy. But if you stay here, with us, with people who love you and who care about you, where you're happy, then that'll just make him angrier. Because he would hate seeing you happy. And that's what your parents would've wanted, isn't it? They wouldn't want Black dead; they'd just want you happy. I know you want your parents back and—and I want mine back too, but this isn't going to change it."

Harry didn't know what made him do it, honest, he didn't. There was just something about seeing Neville there, crying because his parents were gone too, talking to someone who understood, who really understood instead of playing on sympathies. So no matter how "un-manly" it was, Harry stood up and gave Neville a hug. And on his side, he could feel Parvati and Lee and Hermione and everyone else join in.

"Group hug!" The twins shouted, as they all converged into a gigantic clump that was no longer able to support itself. The lions went tumbling down together, falling and laughing. Harry realized Neville was right. He did feel happy. And if Sirius Black came after him, then Harry would have friends who would help him fight back, and after it was over, Harry would still be happy.

_We'll make it_, he thought contentedly. _We always do_.

Unluckily (or maybe luckily, only time would tell) for him, three other Gryffindors were listening in, as well as hatching a plan.

* * *

"Attention!" Ginny shouted over the grumblings of several sleepy second years. "I know that it's early, but I wouldn't call this meeting if it wasn't absolutely necessary!"

Slowly, the rude mutterings quieted down as raccoon eyes and bedheads turned towards the ever so wonderful Madam President.

"Late last night, in the Gryffindor Common Room, Vice-President Creevey, Secretary Robbins and I were privy to a conversation between the great Harry Potter and his friends—"Ginny began.

"You mean you were eavesdropping?" Malcolm Baddock drawled slyly.

"Of course not!" Demelza retorted hotly. "We just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"As I was saying," Ginny interrupted, shooting Baddock a fierce glare. "This conversation concerned the fact that someone is out to kill our hero."

Gasps sounded around the room.

"No!"

"Who is this fiend?"

"How dare they!"

Ginny held up her hand for silence. "Yes, I know, what a great tragedy this is. The culprit is none other than the escape convict Sirius Black."

Ginny, Colin, and Demelza had chosen not to share some of the more personal details they had overheard the previous evening. It seemed much too serious of an offense.

"Now, I suppose you're all wondering what we will be doing about this new revelation. Well, Ideas Committee Chairwoman Lovegood, Head of Special Operations Cadwallader and Special Operations Squad Leader Bradley have devised a plan. Cadwallader, explain please," Ginny ordered.

Michael stood to address the terrified crowd. "Ladies and gentleman, I won't lie to you. Originally we thought about going after the threat ourselves. However, after some careful consideration, we realized this would be a suicide mission. So, instead, we have decided to make life easier for Harry Potter by helping him in any way possible."

Luna quickly joined in. "You see, it would help Harry greatly if we were to ease the burden of his daily life by assisting him in tedious tasks. This way, he would be a little bit more relaxed."

Ginny was a little doubtful—how could Harry relax if someone was out to kill him?—but his friends seemed to be on his side for that part. Besides, it was the best they had.

"Thank you, Cadwallader, Lovegood, Bradley. Because of these new changes in HPFC procedure, Vice-President Creevey and I thought it would be best if we instituted a name change. So, from now on, we will no longer be the Harry Potter Fan Club. Instead, we will be the Helping Harry Potter Club. Are there any objections?"

Malcolm's hand began to sneak up in the air before it was pushed down rather aggressively by Demelza.

Ginny smiled, satisfied. "Good. Now, moving on. Has anyone found some first years who might be willing to join the club, even after this new change?"

"I'd like to join." A strong, confident voice carried through the abandoned classroom.

Ginny squinted, trying to make out the figure. "And who might you be?"

A small girl stepped forward, pushing past the crowd. "Romilda Vane."

* * *

**A quick note to all reviewers:**

**You are all absolutely amazing! I wish that I could respond to each and every single one of you, but because of my aforementioned computer problems, that's currently incredibly difficult. I seriously apologize if I was unable to get back to some of you. Unfortunately, that trend is most likely going to continue until early August. I just want you to know that, though I couldn't respond, your words were wonderful to read, and I want to see more! Thanks for your patience.**


	39. Chapter 39

**AN: Hello again! This chapter goes out to Venquine1990, who wrote what has to be one of the most polite "Please update soon!" reviews I've ever read. Of course, I couldn't forget about the rest of the readers, followers, and favorites, who continue to astound me with their sheer numbers. And no chapter would be complete without the thanking of reviewers: Guest, Rumour of an Alchemist, Jmw, Kairan1979, Venquine1990, ILoveGeorgeEads, becuzitswrong, Ari989, To the TARDIS, serialkeller, Magdylena Black, Tellur, Lady Sabine of Macayhill, MariusDarkwolf, Wonderbee31, The Submarauder, ultima-owner, magitech, Fibinaci, and B00kw0rm92. I did manage to respond to a few of you before my phone died, but to the rest of you, thanks for the kind words and the patience.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

On Thursday morning, the third year girls were frantically zooming around the dormitory, trying to get ready for that day's classes. Typically, they were woken by Hermione's alarm. Yet, last night, she had forgotten to set it, and it was her internal clock (and her shriek) that alerted them to their impending tardiness.

"Has anyone seen my hairspray?" Parvati called out desperately.

"Right here!" Hermione held it up victoriously before fixing her tie.

"Here Hermione, let me put on your concealer." Lavender grabbed Hermione by the shoulders and planted her firmly in front of the mirror.

"I don't need any makeup," Hermione told her, trying to brush the insistent girl off.

"Do you want everyone to know how tired you are?" Lavender asked incredulously, pulling back to give her a disbelieving look.

"Well, no," Hermione admitted, shifting.

"It's lightweight, so you'll hardly even feel it. I promise," Lavender said earnestly.

"I guess," She acquiesced. She was going to regret this later, she just knew it.

"Great!" Lavender smeared some of it on underneath her eyes. "So what classes do you have today?"

"Umm, Potions, Defense, Arithmancy, Muggle Studies…" Hermione ticked them off on her fingers and squirmed impatiently.

"There! All done," Lavender announced. "See, you look so much more awake!"

Hermione turned back to the mirror and studied her reflection. The makeup did hide the bags under her eyes. It was only the first week, and Hermione was already beginning to feel burnt out. It would only be a matter of time before some of her more perceptive friends noticed that something was wrong. Maybe she could get some more of that concealer by mail order…

"I'm so glad we're all taking Defense today!" Parvati gushed as she rushed back into the room, shaking out her practically perfect hair.

The third year Gryffindors were some of the last students to have Professor Lupin. All of the kids were tense, despite the others' assurances that Professor Lupin was quite a bit of fun, and a good teacher on top of it. Their last two professors for that position were forever imprinted in their minds. He hadn't seemed at all full of himself like Lockhart, but there was still a chance that he could be like Quirrel: a mild-mannered man to most, but secretly an awful, terrible person.

"I hope it's something fun," Hermione wished fervently.

"Can Defense even be fun?" Lavender asked, twisting her hair into a bun.

"I guess it could be," Parvati said doubtfully.

"We'll just have to find out, won't we?" Hermione finished up relatively quickly. "Are you guys ready?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Let's go."

Breakfast was an unusually quiet affair. Their section of the table was almost completely silent, save for Ron's occasional choking noise as he inhaled his food too fast. The mood was so subdued that Snape wouldn't stop glancing over at the Gryffindor table suspiciously.

_FLASH!_

"Colin!" All of them groaned in unison, turning towards the culprit.

He shrugged. "It was a historic moment. You guys were finally quiet during a meal. I wanted to document it."

"Ugh!" Lavender speared a pancake onto her plate. "Do you really have to do that so early in the morning?"

"Maybe you guys should've been quiet yesterday during lunch," Colin replied.

Professor Burbage appeared out of thin air right behind him. "Colin, were you taking pictures without asking again?"

He turned around, a sullen look on his face. "Maybe."

She sighed. "Next time, at least wait until later, when everyone's a bit more…alert," She requested politely.

"Okay." He fingered the capture button on his camera again. "Professor Burbage, may I please take a picture of you?"

"Yes, Colin." She smiled prettily at him.

"No, no, you can't look like that!" He cried. "You need to have that frown you had on earlier."

"I was frowning?" Her eyes went wide as she turned to the others for confirmation.

"You were," Lee told her. "But you should keep it up. Nothing makes Colin feel worse about taking pictures more than your frown."

Colin nodded eagerly. "My dad actually wanted me to take this one. He couldn't believe anyone would be able to make me feel bad about taking pictures, so I said I would take a picture of your frown and send it to him for proof."

"Well…okay, if your dad really wanted it." Burbage stepped back and tried to arrange her features into a frown.

"That…does not look right," Seamus declared.

"I'm trying, but I can't do it unless I'm sincere," She huffed.

"That's okay," Colin decided. "I'm bound to do it again, so I'll just get your picture later."

"No, Colin!" She shouted after him; but it was no use. Colin had already taken off. She sighed again and plopped down at the Gryffindor table. "So, what's on the schedule today?"

"Well, I have Charms, and then Herbology, and after that is lunch—"Katie began.

"Oh, that's nice." Burbage leaned over and snagged some eggs. "What about you guys?" She directed her question to the third years. Her eyes were unusually bright.

"Um, well, we have to start out with Potions," Neville barely whispered, shrinking down in his seat.

Burbage pursed her lips. "If you have any problems with Snape, Neville, just let me know. Even if it's the same thing that he normally does, I want you to tell me."

"Are you sure?" Neville poked at his toast.

"Of course I am. I haven't been able to tell him off for treating my students badly in months," She joked.

Neville smiled weakly, looking a little surer of himself.

"And what classes do you all have after lunch?" She asked nonchalantly.

"We all have Defense together," Ron piped up.

"That should be fun." Charity nodded encouragingly. "You know, I'm sort of running late. I need to get to class early so that I can set up the microwave. It's not going to work in the castle of course, but I figured I'd show them anyways. But you all just let me know if you want to adjust your schedule, okay? Hermione, dear, are you alright?"

Hermione was about to fall face first into her breakfast. She rose up with a start. "Oh yes, I'm fine. I just didn't get much sleep last night, that's all."

"If you're sure." Burbage gave her one last concerned glance before setting off for the Muggle Studies classroom.

* * *

"Harry, could you please stay after for a moment?" Lupin inquired, popping up by Harry's shoulder just as the boy was about to exit.

"Sure." Harry dropped his book bag by the door and followed Lupin back into his office. It wasn't very personal, though it did have several gadgets and baubles. Almost all of them looked old and worn, a bit like Lupin himself, who looked only slightly healthier than he had on the train.

"Would you like some tea? I have some time before my next class," Lupin offered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, um, sure, thanks." Harry sat in a comfy chair and openly goggled at some of the things Lupin had on his desk. One resembled a compass, yet it didn't have directions on it, but rather stages of the moon. Next to it was an in-depth drawing of a strange beast which reminded Harry strongly of a manta ray.

Lupin came back with the tea and set it down on top of his desk. He poured a cup for both of them, but didn't sit down. Instead, he crossed the room to a large window that overlooked the Black Lake. Harry followed his gaze, but the only thing he saw was the tree he and his friends sometimes sat under. There was nothing particularly interesting about that tree, but Lupin watched it just the same.

"Harry," Lupin started so suddenly that Harry almost spilled his tea. "I understand that Professor McGonagall and Professor Burbage had a talk with you earlier this week about Sirius Black. I won't try to bother you with specifics, because I already know the story. You see, there is a part of the tale that I asked them to omit, because I…I didn't want to…." He was quiet for a long moment.

When it looked as though he wasn't going to continue, Harry cleared his throat. "Professor Lupin?" He prodded gently.

"Harry, Peter Pettigrew, James Potter, and Sirius Black had a fourth friend. The four of them were very close, and they did almost everything together. They called themselves the Marauders. That fourth boy was me."

Harry paused. "You were friends with my father?"

Lupin smiled, though he didn't look at all joyful. "Yes, I was. I knew your mother fairly well too, though we weren't very close."

"Oh." Harry thought for a bit. "Do you…d'you think you could tell me about them?"

"Perhaps some other time. Right now Harry, I wanted to talk to you about something a little more…urgent."

"You want to talk about Black," Harry stated bluntly.

Lupin didn't look surprised. "Yes, I do."

"I'm not going to go after him, if that's what you're worried about," Harry snapped, irritated.

"I didn't expect you would."

"Oh," Harry said again, feeling guilty. "Well, I was actually going to." He felt as though he should be totally honest with Lupin.

"I know," He replied simply. "Your friends have some very good heads on their shoulders. That's not to say that you don't, of course. Just that you're prone to making some very rash decisions. You're like James that way." Lupin turned to smile at Harry, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "You know, you look exactly like him. Except for the eyes. You have your mother's eyes."

Harry felt a deep hunger within him. Professor Lupin knew about his parents. He had grown up with them. He probably knew funny, embarrassing, and just plain boring details about him. Harry had never gotten to experience that. He had no idea what they would do or say in his position, or what sort of people they would be friends with, or even what food they would eat.

"But we'll save the reminiscing for another time," Lupin intervened swiftly. "Harry, Black is incredibly dangerous. Not because he is a criminal, but because of the information he knows about many people. There were very few wizards and witches granted with such a large amount of information, and unfortunately, Black was one of them. He was trusted implicitly during the war. We all believed that there was no way he could possibly betray any of us. We knew there was a spy, of course. There had to be, considering the amount of top secret information that got out to the Death Eaters. We just never guessed that it would be him."

He strode back over to his desk and sat down in his chair, folding his hands on top of the desk. "Black is not only an accomplished duelist, but he is an incredibly intelligent wizard with good instincts. He went to Hogwarts. He and James were like brothers. He knew every single one of the Potter family's secrets, and he most likely took them all to the Death Eaters."

"Professor?" Harry cut in, feeling cold all over. "Why would he do that to his best friend?"

Lupin stopped, and his eyes glazed over for a moment. "Just another one of the mysteries that I suppose we will never know the answer to, Harry. What you must remember is that Voldemort offered his followers many things: money, power, respect. And for those that were very…mentally ill, he offered them a way to kill and torture without repercussions. And we mustn't forget about his original followers, the ones who joined to keep the pureblood way of life above that of those who they considered inferior. Black may have been offered any or all of these things in exchange for some of the Light's most protected secrets."

Harry leaned back in his chair, taking it all in. So Black had given up his parents just for a little bit of gold, or even for a chance to stamp out people like Hermione, Dean, and his mother. The fury was building up inside of him again, and he took a few deep breaths to keep himself calm. He was not going to go after Black, no matter how tempting it was.

Lupin leaned in closer and looked directly in Harry's eyes. "So Harry, you must always be on your guard. There are some things you think may be unknown, but chances are, someone somewhere does know about them. I wish I didn't have to say this to you, but it's true. Black could be anywhere. There is not a single place that is well and truly safe."

Harry felt a chill run up his spine and searched desperately for a new topic. "Professor Lupin, why didn't you let me face the boggart?"

Lupin blinked, clearly thrown. "Truthfully Harry, I was expecting your worst fear to be Lord Voldemort. Imagine the panic in class if that were to be the case."

Harry frowned, barely registering the fact that this was the second time Lupin had said Voldemort's name. "Well, I thought it would be, but then I remembered the dementors."

Lupin's eyebrows rose. "Ah, yes, the dementors. Very wise of you Harry. You see, dementors prey on negative emotions, and the strongest of those is fear. Essentially, your worst fear is fear itself."

Another thought occurred to Harry. "Do you know why the dementors were worse for me than for the others?"

Lupin nodded his head slowly. "I'm not certain, but I believe it is because you have had a more difficult life than the others. You see, the more negative emotions you have experienced in your life, the more the dementors have to feed on. You must've seemed like a tasty treat indeed, after what you've been through. Don't worry Harry, it's not because of any personal weakness you have."

Harry glanced up sharply. How was it that the man just knew what Harry was thinking?

Lupin smiled. "Another bit of James in you. Now, unfortunately, I must beg you to please take off, as my next class is starting soon. However, if you ever need to speak with someone, about Black, or your parents, or even your schoolwork, my door is always open."

Harry thanked him and made to leave.

"Oh, and Harry?"

He turned back to glance at Professor Lupin again.

"Remember, your guard should always be up."

* * *

Romilda Vane was not stupid. Remarkably short-sighted? Perhaps. Exceedingly self-centered? Indeed. But stupid she was not. Romilda had known her place in the world for years, and in one night, it had been shattered. She came from a long line of Ravenclaws, an unbroken string of Ravenclaws, and if her family actually cared about her, then perhaps she would be worried about being disowned. But Romilda remained invisible to them, and so she wasn't really all that concerned at all.

Romilda was the middle child of an impossibly strict, by-the-book Pureblood family. Her older sister, Radella, was considered to be one of the most eligible bachelorettes in the Wizarding world. She was beautiful, smart, and from a good family. The Vanes were impossibly happy to have her as their daughter, as she was almost guaranteed to bring about a profitable match for the family. Though purebloods generally didn't like having daughters, as it led to some sticky issues regarding inheritance, as well as signifying the possible end of the family line, at least they had managed to get a girl that wouldn't be "difficult."

Romilda, by her family's definition, was difficult. She wasn't nearly as pretty as Radella, nor as smart. She had a tendency of running her mouth when she shouldn't, and she got up to more than her fair share of trouble. She had scared off most of the suitable boys her age, and her family had long since decided that she was bound to grow up as an old spinster with no one willing to marry her. Worst of all, she was yet another daughter, which meant that the Vanes still didn't have an heir. At least, they didn't have an heir until nearly four years ago.

Ridley Vane was an absolute terror, but the Vanes saw him as a precious little piece of cargo they could lug about to every social event in pureblood society, to show off that, at least for one more generation, the Vanes were not going to disappear. He was their perfect prince, the one that would lift them up out of oblivion and back into the high life. Something most didn't know was that the Vanes had begun to struggle financially, though they still threw impossibly extravagant parties every year.

After Ridley had survived the first two years, which were some of the riskiest in magical children, the Vanes had begun to forget about Romilda, which suited her just fine. It left her time to plot. Romilda wasn't going to end up as a spinster. She wasn't. There was simply no way. There had to be someone out there that would take her in. Romilda didn't want to be alone. Most of all, she didn't want to have to be alone with her parents as Radella manipulated the lives of her children and Ridley traveled the world in search of some fortune, as though an entire vault full of galleons would just lay around for him to find.

Romilda had to hold on for a little longer. Maybe if she could find someone who didn't know much about the Vanes. One of the smaller pureblood families, perhaps. Someone who had no clue what was going on behind the scenes, someone who wouldn't suspect a thing. Oh sure, Romilda would really like to love her future husband, but after hearing enough stories from some of the older women at parties, she had become more and more desperate. She would take anyone at this point, as long as they had a house she could stay at and they didn't think of her as a waste of space.

Staying at Vane Villa had made it difficult to find a boy who fit the bill. But upon getting into Hogwarts, her eyes had immediately scanned the Great Hall for possible candidates. It hadn't taken long before her gaze snapped on her target. He was perfect.

Neville Longbottom would never know what hit him.

* * *

**A quick note to all readers:**

**I wrote Romilda using significant inspiration from a fic which I can no longer seem to find on this site, and which I don't recall the name of. It's a shame, because I truly enjoyed it, and I read it multiple times. Have I mentioned that I don't usually think about reading the title of a fic? It was the first story I read that I genuinely liked Romilda, and it's part of my motivation for writing her this way. That Romilda wasn't perfect, and she made mistakes, but she seemed a lot less crazed than she came across in canon. I would direct you all to read it, but as I said, I can't find it anywhere. Just wanted to give credit where credit is due.**

* * *

**Reply to anonymous reviewer Jmw:**

**I'm glad you liked it. I was really nervous about messing with that pairing, but now I'm happy with how it turned out. Writing them together that way just made sense, I guess. It felt easier than trying to write a pairing that I wouldn't have enjoyed. Thanks for reviewing!**


	40. Chapter 40

**AN: This chapter is a bit shorter than I'd like, but I didn't want to drag it out. Also, I have some bad news. I was planning to update Thursday, but I might end up having to work then. As much as I would love to update instead, I kind of need the money. I'm incredibly sorry. Thanks to the favorites, followers, and readers for being so patient. Special thanks to reviewers: Random Person with No Name, heart chan, Majerus, Guest, ILoveGeorgeEads, Ari989, Guest, Kairan1979, MaeSilverpaws1, Tellur, becuzitswrong, KTN, Fibinaci, ultima-owner, B00kw0rm92, magitech, Lady Sabine of Macayhill, serialkeller, and Wonderbee31. For those of you who I didn't get the chance to respond to, I'm so sorry. Thanks for your understanding.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.**

The first Quidditch match of the season was approaching fast, and Oliver couldn't help but worry. Who cared if no one on the Hufflepuff team had gone pro? That didn't mean they weren't any good. He wouldn't be able to stand losing that match to a couple of amateurs. It was made worse by the fact that Summers had promised to show up to every game the Gryffindors played this year, and "give him pointers." Oliver was almost positive that was code for listing every little thing Oliver had done wrong. And so, he decided that not a single thing would go wrong. Nope, not one thing. He would make sure there were extra practices, maybe even one a day. He ran over his strategies and drills in his head before he went to sleep, and he had even accidentally written a portion of it in his Defense essay. Lupin had been kind about it, and had given Oliver a chance to rewrite it.

Oliver glared across the Great Hall at Diggory, who was eating his breakfast without a care in the world. Stupid Diggory. Was he really so confident that he thought his team had no problem beating Gryffindor? Well, Oliver would show him. He would prove that the Gryffindors were the team to beat, and that Oliver Wood was not someone you should cross.

After breakfast, the team traipsed out to the field for practice. He had brought Cormac along in order to train him on some of the finer mechanisms of being Keeper. Oliver was mildly worried as he noted the groggy looks on their faces, but he figured it would wear off.

"Alright, team," He began, clapping his hands together. The sound echoed loudly throughout the locker room. "Listen up. This is an important year for us. It's my last year, and it's my last chance to win the Quidditch Cup. Now, I'm incredibly happy we won last year, but that doesn't mean we can slack off now. In order to ensure our win, I have some new ideas. I think it would be helpful for you guys to learn and memorize the following flight patterns and tricks."

Oliver picked up several giant sheets of paper with little figures drawn on them. He tacked them up on the wall and turned back to face them.

Katie's jaw dropped. "You've got to be kidding me."

The twins tilted their heads. "Isn't some of that impossible?"

"Of course not. I have complete confidence in you," He assured them.

Maybe some of Oliver's confidence had been misplaced, because for the next few hours, he watched as they struggled to do just about everything he'd written down. Harry had a decent Wronski Feint, though it was less dangerous than Oliver had anticipated, especially since Harry had a solid reputation for taking risks. And Alicia wasn't half bad at the Woollongong Shimmy, though she almost fell off her broom a few times. But the Bludger Backbeat evaded the twins, and Katie was so fearful of hurting someone that the Chasers' Parkin's Pincer fell flat.

Angelina landed right next to Oliver. "Can't we stop with all of this? Oliver, we were doing great before!"

"Yes, but were we great enough to defeat Hufflepuff?" Oliver responded, bouncing his leg up and down.

The rest of the team swooped down.

"Okay, what's this really about?" Katie demanded. "The Oliver I know wouldn't try to use a bunch of fancy tricks to scare off the Hufflepuffs."

"I'm not trying to scare them," Oliver said truthfully.

"Then what's going on?" Harry challenged.

"Nothing," Oliver insisted, pulling at the collar of his robes.

"We know you better than that," The twins chimed in.

Oliver sighed. "Well…it's just that, Joseph Summers, the guy I'm replacing on Puddlemere, is going to be here, and I really want to impress him—"

The team groaned in unison as Cormac shook his head.

"You mean he isn't impressed with you already?" Cormac asked. "If you haven't managed to make the guy like you, then I don't think showing off how much the team can do is going to work."

Oliver shifted. "It could," He argued weakly.

Alicia made a frustrated noise. "Oliver, sometimes people just won't like you, and there's nothing you can do about it. Why are you letting it bother you so much? It's not like Summers is going to stop you from joining the team when he's gone."

Oliver remained silent and mulled this over.

"We can beat Hufflepuff," Harry told them confidently. "I know we can. We don't need all of these special moves in order to do it. We just need to go in there and do our best, and it'll work out."

"You think so?" Oliver asked dubiously.

The team nodded as one. Oliver's lips twitched.

"Alright then. What now?" He asked, looking around.

"Isn't this the time that you're supposed to give that super motivational speech?" Cormac suggested.

Oliver blushed. "Right. Okay then. Um…Hufflepuff is terrible."

The others roared with laughter.

"That came out wrong," Oliver blurted out. "What I mean is, I've seen them play, and we're miles better than they are. They're still better than Slytherin, of course, but only barely. We can beat them. Er…" Oliver floundered. What was something good to say? What would make them want to win more than anything? "Hey, don't you all want to see the look on Diggory's face when he loses?"

This made several of them cheer.

"I bet he doesn't even think losing is possible for him," Fred jeered scornfully.

"Definitely," Angelina agreed.

Katie and Harry remained unconvinced.

"Don't you think that seems kind of mean?" She said hesitantly.

Harry nodded in tentative agreement.

"Trust me. It'll be worth it," Alicia told them.

Oliver settled in across from Harry. "Okay Harry, here's what you need to know about Diggory. He's a jerk who thinks he can win whatever he wants. He thinks he's the greatest guy in the school. So what you need to do is prove to him that he's not. You need to get that snitch. If you can just confuse him, which will be easy to do, then the rest of the match will be easy. Do a couple of Wronski Feints if you have to. Try to psych him out. I want this game to change his life. I want to see Diggory so upset that he tries to claim you're cheating. I want you to make him cry." Oliver pounded his fist into his hand for emphasis.

"You're expecting all of this from Potter?" A voice asked from behind them.

Oliver whirled around to come face to face with Diggory. He faltered for a moment before straightening up. "Yeah, I do. And guess what? I know he'll do even better than what I expect, because he's just that good. Unlike your sorry excuse for a team," Oliver retorted.

Diggory clenched his jaw. "Oh yeah? We'll see who's crying when that match is over, Wood," He threatened, a sinister smile on his face.

"Fine," Oliver ground out.

"Fine." Diggory swirled back around and stalked away.

"Oi! Diggory!" Fred shouted as the seeker was about twenty feet away. "If your face looks anything like it did after Angelina punched you, I'll laugh for hours!"

Diggory glared over his shoulder and made a rude hand gesture.

"You punched him?" Katie gasped.

"Well, yeah." Angelina shrugged. "Never ever go out with Cedric Diggory, Katie. You'll regret it for the rest of your life."

* * *

Halloween arrived, and with it came the day of the first Hogsmeade trip, and Harry was the only one of his friends who wasn't going. They had all offered to stay, of course, but he had waved them off. It wasn't really that big of a deal, after all. It wasn't the first time he'd stayed at Hogwarts while most of Gryffindor was out. It was the first time he'd had to do it alone, though. He tried to stay positive. He could talk to some of the second years. That wouldn't be strange, would it?

Ten minutes later, Harry was seriously regretting his decision. The second years had done nothing but stare and ask several odd questions that were seemingly unrelated. At least Ginny and Colin had the courtesy to _pretend_ to be unimpressed. He was just making plans to politely excuse himself when a tiny girl with dark hair strode up to him and introduced herself.

"I'm Romilda Vane, first year." She said this in such a way that Harry wondered if perhaps she were famous, or someone that he should've at least recognized. Despite the fact that he had seen her a few times in the past two months, he still didn't know who she was.

"Harry Potter…third year?" He tacked this last part on as a question, unsure if this was some sort of formal code he had yet to learn.

She shook hands with him and sat in the chair opposite. Her eyes flitted up to his scar before shooting back down. "So, Harry, I've noticed that you seem to be good friends with Neville Longbottom. Our families used to be al-friends." She switched words so subtly that Harry almost didn't catch it. Almost.

"Used to be?" Harry repeated with a frown.

She coughed delicately. "Certain circumstances forced them to reconsider their relationship. So, did you two meet at Hogwarts?" She crossed her legs and leaned back.

"Uh, yeah. Well, I guess we met on the train, but yeah. We didn't become real friends until last year though," He explained, feeling self-conscious. What eleven year-old spoke so formally?

"How nice. I never got to spend much time with him as kids. He seems very friendly though."

Harry cleared his throat and glanced around. "Er, yeah, he is. Neville's pretty nice." Harry was worried now. Was he not supposed to be saying anything to her? But telling her Neville was a good guy was hardly incriminating, was it? He eyed her warily before jumping up.

"I have to go to the library to study for that test. _Alone_," He added hastily as Colin made to rise.

"Have a nice time!" Ginny called out pleasantly.

As soon as he turned his back, he could hear them break out in whispers and groaned inwardly. Really, was a break too much to ask for?

* * *

Like most people, Remus Lupin had good days and bad days. It seemed fitting that one of his bad days should be on Halloween, the day that his life had gone to ruins. Lily and James were dead, and so was Peter, and Sirius was not who they had thought he was. Remus swallowed heavily. As soon as he had woken up this morning, he'd felt terrible. Charity had invited him to go with the staff to Hogsmeade for drinks, but he had politely declined. He'd rather wallow in his office than with a bunch of people. He didn't want to ruin their day as well.

He paced back and forth, drowning in memories. Their years at Hogwarts had slowly started to fade from Remus' mind when Lily and James died. He'd spend months afterward trying to recall the stupidest, most inane things about them that he'd never thought about before. Back then, Lily's favorite book and song hadn't mattered, and neither had James' countless stories of fantastical adventures that couldn't possibly be true. Who knew they'd be so important to him now?

Over time, he'd begun to worry that he was forgetting something about them. He couldn't let that happen. Lily and James deserved to be remembered, the real Lily and James Potter. His friends. Everyone else in the Wizarding world remembered them as the ones who had gotten killed the night Voldemort was killed, and a select few still thought of them as brave soldiers of the light. But not Remus. He remembered them as they had been all throughout school.

It wasn't like he'd had much else to do. He'd stayed away from the Wizarding world for years, preferring to have nothing to do with it. He still had a subscription to the Daily Prophet, of course, but that was as far as it went. Instead, he found odd jobs around England, working at bookstores and supermarkets, as well as doing yard work and some spare chores around neighborhoods. He kept to himself, and rarely stayed in the same place for too long. Whenever someone got a little too friendly, he kindly rebuffed them. He was a wizard, and a werewolf, and he still wasn't ready for real friends.

He probably needed some lessons on real friends too. He'd thought Sirius was a real friend, but real friends didn't go out and kill their friends for a sick grab at power. It made him wonder if Sirius had always been a traitor, or if Voldemort's empty promises had tempted him. Had those seven years at Hogwarts all been a lie? Or had Sirius stayed true until Voldemort had done something, anything, to get him to join? What had Voldemort done? Maybe he had threatened Sirius. Remus had had that thought more than once.

But what would he threaten Sirius with? Sirius had ended up killing three of them, and he probably would've killed Remus too, if his master had ordered it. Clearly, his friends didn't matter. Possibly it was his family. Sirius had always claimed that he hated his family, and had moved in with the Potters while still in school. But he'd lied about other things before, and if he really did care about his family, then that seemed to be a reasonable thing for Voldemort to hang over his head.

Of course, there was the much more believable idea that Sirius had allied himself with the dark in order to save his own neck. That also went against everything Remus had known about Sirius, but Remus had realized long ago that one of his best friends was not the true Sirius Black. Remus obviously knew nothing about Sirius.

He rubbed a hand over his face. The full moon was coming up soon. He was so tired, and all of this brooding wasn't helping anything. Maybe he should get out and take a walk. Walks were good. They were full of fresh air and sunshine, and sunshine promoted positive thinking, or so Charity had told him this morning before taking off for Hogsmeade. He opened his office door, ready to attempt to shake off his bad day, only to be greeted with the sight of Harry.

"Er, hi Professor Lupin. Um, I know we haven't really talked much lately, I've been kind of busy." Harry scratched his head, starting to feel a little unsure of himself. "It's just that, you said I could come talk to you whenever, and I kind of wanted to ask you about my parents. If this is a bad time, I can come back later," He offered shyly.

"No, no, no, now's fine. Here, come right in." Remus hadn't been prepared for that. Of course Harry would want to talk about his parents on the day they died. Of course he would decide to talk to Remus about it, since he thought that Remus was the only person who remembered Lily and James.

Harry sat down in a chair and watched him for a few minutes. Remus wasn't sure how to start this type of conversation. Did he just launch right into the fun stories, or did he give Harry background? Living with Lily's sister, Remus highly doubted that Harry knew much about James. Should he talk about what they had done together as a couple, or let him get to know them as individuals first? There were so many ways this conversation could go, and so many ways he could mess it all up.

"Professor Lupin? How did you meet my dad?" Harry looked up at him with wide emerald eyes.

Remus was momentarily taken aback. That was an easy question. "I first met James Potter on the train to Hogwarts. He looked so much like you. He was a lot shorter than I was, and he was really scrawny, too. He made up for it by being incredibly loud…"

Remus' day only got better from there.

* * *

**Reply to anonymous reviewers**

**Guest: Don't worry about it. I like reviews, no matter their size. And your English seems great!**

**KTN: You're totally right. Thanks so much. Unfortunately, I have no clue if it's even been posted anywhere. I suppose you could try the Harry Potter Fanfiction website, but I doubt it would be up there.**


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